Harry Potter and the Weaving Lines of Fate Part 2
by yinyangsangel
Summary: REWRITE. Fate is funny. One would expect that they are straight and guide a person down the road that they is ahead of them. However it isn't true. They aren't straight. The weave and twist, entwining different souls together and bringing them together. Giving new destinies to those, and changing fates of a select few.
1. DAYS GO PASSING

Moria stirred as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. She smiled into the pillow before cracking one eye open, trying to see him through the mass of brown hair covering her face. She couldn't help but shift and release a soft laugh as she felt a kiss on her bare shoulder.

"Your five o'clock shadow is scratchy, Mr. Black." She murmured and heard Sirius chuckle.

"It makes me manly Ms. Prescott, and you know it." he teased pulling her close to him and she made no attempt to fight.

"Love you." She murmured out.

"Love you too." He said kissing her shoulder again and she smiled.

"So how did your mission go? You got back pretty late." She said finally turning around. He sighed and ran a finger across her cheek.

"It went fine…no casualties on our side. A few on the other and we managed to catch a few." He said. She looked at him.

"That's good."

"Yeah…so how are the plans for the wedding going?"

"Perfectly fine. Lily finally got Madge's dress, and no, I'm not telling you what it looks like. I know you and you'll try and tell James." She stated and he rolled his eyes before kissing her forehead. Moria smiled. A little bit later they were getting dressed, Moria making some breakfast. Sirius was standing at the doorway, staring at her as she went to grab a box to make oatmeal.

Merlin, did she look lovely. Even if she was wearing one of his shirts and a pair of boxers, her hair pulled back messily into a ponytail, the morning light that was streaming ever so slightly from the window from the living room gave her a delicate glow. She turned around about ready to make some tea but stopped and blinked when she saw him.

"What?" she said, a blush growing on her face. He said nothing, just smiled as he walked up to her.

"I just realized how incredibly lucky I am to have you." He said, kissing her gently. She smiled returning the kiss, gripping his shirt with her hands.

"So…plans for tonight?" he asked and she smirked.

"Bachelorette party. I'm the designated driver." She murmured, making a soft sound as his mouth trailed her neck.

"Don't let the bride go wild…at least not without taking any photos." He joked.

"Oh please…I don't think the bachelorette party could be any worse than the bachelor party you, Remus, and Peter put James through." Moria stated. That had been a fun wake up call for Moria as four grown men apparating into the flat, piss-drunk, and the only one that had been slightly sober had been Remus, who passed out shortly after arriving. Likewise, Peter had no memory of trying to fly out of the window to which Moria had had to tie him to a chair, while James and Sirius took turns sharing the porcelain god throughout the night, and Moria had to stay up to make sure that they were all still breathing in the morning. Long story short, the next day all five of them were grumpy and moody.

Sirius grimaced. "…I'm definitely watering down the firewhiskey next time."

"Did Sirius Black actually learn a lesson? I'm shocked." Moria joked.

"Hey, all in all, it wasn't that bad."

"I seem to recall a rather loud, and angry call that we had to listen to from Lily when she found out that all four of you got tattoos. Though I must admit it was rather amusing to see antlers on James's back, a moon on Remus's back, and a _rat's tail_ for Peter. Boy did Lily's face turn red for that. The paw print is adorable by the way." She teased, tapping the small paw print that was on his shoulder, and he glowered at her before picking her up and hoisting her over his shoulder. She gasped and looked down at him.

"Put me down." She said, trying hard to seem angry, but ultimately failing.

"Not without a price Ms. Prescott." He said looking at her with a grin and she laughed.

"And that would be?"

"Oh I've got an idea."

* * *

"Lily, come on. Stop worrying."

"But what if he gets cold feet?" Moria and Alice heard from behind the changing screen. They both rolled their eyes.

"Lily, come on. This is James. Remember? The boy who essentially stalked you throughout Hogwarts? And besides, if he does, Alice and I will hex him to bits." Moria stated, pulling at her dress.

"I know…but still…I'm nervous." Lily said as she walked out, thumbing the fabric of the dress. The heart shaped bodice of the strapless gown showed off strong, toned shoulders and arms, and glittered with a sprinkle of cut-glass beads. The skirt fell from a trim waist in soft ruches of taffeta accented with a few beads. Moria smiled.

"Besides…he'd have to be mad to get cold feet."

* * *

"Come on Prongs, Lily isn't going to be a runaway bride." Sirius stated as he attempted-again- to tie James's tie. And once again the tie became a lopsided bow with one side being completely larger than the other. James scowled.

"Easy for you to say, you and Moria have been going out for nearly four years. Lily and I have only been going out for a year and before that she pretty much hated my very existence." James grumbled. "I'd be mad not to at least expect that."

"I swear to Merlin, Prongs, one more word-"

"Are you trying to murder the groom? Because I think Lily would strongly oppose that." A feminine voice called out and both men turned to see Moria standing at the doorway, a slight smirk on her face. "And now I see why you two didn't wear your ties in school." she said and Sirius glared playfully at his girlfriend.

"Tying a tie is harder than it looks, Moria. There's-!" he began to say as she walked by him and then watched in mute shock as she effortlessly tied it to where it actually looked like a tie. She looked at him a playful smirk on her face.

"You were saying Mr. Black?" she teased as he walked up to her, trying to act angry but she could still see a mischievous look on his face.

"We'll talk about this back home." He growled out pulling slightly pulling on the sleeve of her dress pulling her to him.

"Keep it clean." James stated as he pulled on the dress robes.

"Yeah, yeah Prongs." Sirius joked, looking at his best friend amused. "Let's go and get you married."

* * *

Moria watched from a table in the yard as Lily and James danced around to the music. The wedding had gone off smoothly, no cold feet grooms or runaway brides. Moria glanced and smiled at James and Lily's parents who were off in their own corner smiling at their children, watching as Lily and James danced…well Lily danced. James looked like a deer on ice. Unfortunately Petunia Evans had not arrived or had even answered her sister's invitation which for Alice and Moria was an insult. But they had kept their mouths shut. Petunia had only met each of the other girls once. Alice for a brief time, Moria for a bit longer…and boy had Moria gotten her impression.

Petunia Evans, well actually now Petunia Dursley, hated anything associated with the wizarding world. Her husband did as well. She had met Vernon once as well. Not only did he try to force her to buy drills from him, but the way he tried to dominate her own decisions made her EXTREMELY uncomfortable. She had never been happier when Lily had decided to leave and all but dragged Lily out the door of her sister's home. In all honesty she was glad neither of the couple had shown up, knowing Petunia she would have been difficult just to get attention.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand closing on hers. She looked up and smiled at Sirius.

"Hey."

"Hello beautiful. Have I said you look incredibly sexy in that dress?" he asked kissing her cheek and she laughed.

"Yes you have, but it is getting you brownie points which I assume you want to use when we get back home." She stated.

"And here I thought in weddings the bridesmaids all had hideous dresses." He teased and she grinned.

"Heh. I'm the last of the three not married, Sirius. Lily doesn't want to end up in a hideous bridesmaid gown." She said, not noticing Sirius look at her as though examining her. She was busy staring at the new married couple with a sense of peace. Maybe this was proof that in the future, good would happen.

Maybe good wasn't too far away.

* * *

Bryn blinked wearily as she woke up in the back of the alleyway to the sounds of wailing. Dimly she crawled over to the cardboard box, shifting the blanket to soothe the boy who was lying in it. She smiled slightly as he blinked, looking at her and then offering a large smile, giggled. The smell of food suddenly appeared. She was near a garbage dump from a local store. Chances were that there was some stale food. Which she did find. She slid down onto the ground, nibbling on the stale bread and pulled a newspaper near her to both act as a placemat and for her to something to read. After eating, she lifted Geoffrey out of his "bassinet" and began to nurse him. She smiled bleakly.

She didn't know who his father was. She probably would never know. All she knew was that it had been a dark, new moon night, and that all she could remember was pain, blood, and screaming. Nine months later, the same repeated, only this time it produced life in the blood. So many people would have been bitter about the child. But she could never blame this child. Never. He didn't have a choice. And he was her miracle. He would always be _her _miracle. Dimly she glanced at the newspaper page as Geoffrey continued to slurp down his food. She was thankful to see it was about recent marriages. Anything cheerful and upbeat to make her mind forget about all the pain she was going through. All the pain she was putting her son through. She glanced at the names and went down the list. She stopped on the middle section, her eyes widening at the two names and then the picture next to it.

"_**James Potter marries Lily Evans."**_

Lily _married _James? Bloody hell, the last time she had seen them they hadn't even been dating. She continued to scan the picture to try and see her friends. She saw Moria and Sirius who extremely close to each other…were those two together as well? Alice was next to Frank in the background. She then spotted Remus and felt her heart crack. He still looked the same, a few years older. He still had that cheerful yet peaceful grin on his face. He hadn't changed a bit.

But she had.

She looked down as Geoffrey shifted, rubbing his face with his tiny hands. She smiled softly, kissing his forehead, as she tried to make him more comfortable. How long could she do this? How long could she protect her son? She didn't know that. She barely knew what the next day would bring. She swallowed as she helped Geoffrey burp, and then settled him down on her lap, humming softly as she brushed her fingers across his golden fringe and allowed her mind to wander.

A phrase echoed in her mind that time healed all wounds. And while that may have been true for most people, for her it wasn't.

In anything time didn't heal her wounds…

Only created new ones.

* * *

Cepheus sighed as he flipped through another newspaper article, another muggle newspaper from 1965. It seemed that muggle newspaper articles about shows were the only thing he could find any evidence of his elder sister. He had seen pictures of his sister in previous newspaper articles and had already made the connection between Mable and Moria. That brunette woman that he saw in the hospital room was indeed his niece. A part of him was glad that his sister had had a child, a child free of his family. But there was one thing he couldn't figure …something that had been bothering him in the back of his mind. Why hadn't Mable contacted them when she had discovered Moria's witch abilities? Sure they hadn't talked…their relationship strained and broken in the last remaining years that Madge had lived at home and even though their parents had disowned her, they had still kept Mable's account at Gringotts open. That would have given them some reason to meet their niece or granddaughter. Or better yet, why hadn't Moria asked them when she had found out their last names? Surely she knew that the name Ellesmere was rare in the Wizarding world. Unless Mable had made everyone believe that she was a muggle, or-

He didn't look up when he heard footsteps, thinking it was merely Laurentia, Cora, and Marigold.

"Hi Honey, I'll come help you in a few minutes. Going to finish with this paper." He said. However he was forcibly pulled out of his thoughts and finally looked up when a rough hand yanked him up. He was staring face to face with an enraged Wulfric. Looking behind his elder brother's shoulder, he could see his ENTIRE family was behind Wulfric, staring at the room that was filled with newspaper articles, files, and Merlin knew what else. His parents Fillius and Alcmene, his sister Mathilde, his sister's husband Astrix, Wulfric who now looked about ready to beat his face in, Wulfric's wife Carina and behind all that who looked to be trying to shove the others away, Laurentia were in there.

"Didn't know there was going to be a bloody family reunion. Where are the kids? Surely they should be allowed into this _joyous_ occasion." he asked coolly.

"They're outside with your daughters, you bastard." Wulfric growled out as Laurentia finally managed to get to Cepheus's side and glared at Wulfric.

"How dare you come in here and call my husband that!" she hissed out. Wulfric looked at her.

"I told him to leave his suspicions alone! Does this look like leaving it alone?!" he spat out throwing his arms up in the air. The remaining of the family all looked at Cepheus, betrayal blatant on their faces. But this time he stood his ground.

"I wanted to know what happened to Mable. I'm not denying that. It would be cowardly to deny it. Just like you are." Cepheus explained. "You are a coward Wulf." He said evenly and saw his brother's face turn a shade of red that he didn't even know existed. "You were there Wulfric, you saw Moria. She had Mable's face, her eye shape, bloody hell even the same type of wavy hair. You're the auror here. You figured it out before you even _left _the hospital room! If this had been any other case you would have looked over her record in seconds." He said glaring at his family.

"You might have wiped your hands of her, our 'dirty little secret'; that the Ellesmere's had a squib for their daughter. But I wasn't. I couldn't. She wasn't an outcast. Not to me. She NEVER was. She was my older sister." Cepheus stated looking at his family angrily. "And wouldn't you know it, my suspicions were true." He said finally looking at Wulfric, whose face paled.

"Moria Althea Prescott was born June 16, 1960 in the Royal London Hospital at 3:30 in the morning to Maarten Prescott and Mable Prescott nee Ellesmere." Cepheus said and he could feel everyone besides his wife stiffen and saw some of them go slack jaw in shock. "Still think I'm stupid?" Cepheus stated moving away from Wulfric. He then pulled up the most recent newspaper but before he handed it to his brother saw something that caught his eye He stopped and began to read the article barely hearing his wife now berate the entire family for intruding on their home and then causing grief.

As he read on, his heart dropped and he felt as though he had been physically punched in the gut. His vision faded and he heard his family now calling out at him frantically and felt Laurentia suddenly guide him down to the couch, calling his name repeatedly until he returned to the real world and saw his family had now swarmed him.

"Cepheus?!"

"Sweetheart what's wrong?"

"Son?!" he heard his parents finally call out and felt someone wrench the newspaper out of his hand. He tried to speak but was fairly certain that if he did, that he would most likely puke. Wulfric looked at his brother in concern. What had changed his brother's emotions so quickly? The same thought must have traveled and permeated into the others minds as well because they swarmed around Wulfric to try and read the article.

What they saw shocked them.

_**Horrific Car Crash Kills 2, Orphans Child**_

And as they read on about the scene of the accident, the stark image of a mangled car was center in the picture, showing where the car had smashed into the side of the hill after falling off the road. The man had been killed immediately, his neck broken. The woman had survived for about thirty minutes after the crash before passing as well. Their child in some miracle had somehow survived with only minor scratches and bruises. And at the bottom of the page, they saw why Cepheus had nearly passed out.

Staring back at them with a matching pair of glowing smiles was a man with brown hair and brown eyes…

And their daughter, their sister, their Mable in the pictures of the parents deceased.

Dead.

Gone.

**SO AN INTRODUCTION TO BRYN'S SON GEOFFREY (A NEW CHARACTER :) TEEHEE)**


	2. TRUTH

_Mable sighed as she sat inside a bar, listening to the soft music from the muggle contraption called a jukebox. She had left her family's estate weeks ago and for the first time in a long time felt free. She smiled to herself as she stirred the cup of water she was drinking. It was so…peaceful in a way._

_Well except for this chubby drunk that was currently breathing down her neck._

"'_**ello Sweetheart. This is the first time I've seen you here."**__ The man slurred to her and she forced a smile. _

"_**I'm new. But I would like if you left me alone."**__ She warned taking a step away from him. However undeterred, the drunk followed her and grabbed her wrist. Her eyes narrowed angrily and she ripped her wrist away from him._

"_**I said-!"**_

"_**I believe that the lady said to back off."**__ A masculine voice and she looked up startled to see a young man standing next to her, almost protectively. She stared at his dark brown hair that just reached his shoulders and his light brown eyes stared almost amused at the man, as if egging him on. The drunk grew angry and took the other man's bait, and attempted to throw a punch at the other man._

_He dodged it easily, clearly not drunk or as drunk as the man he was fighting before swinging his own fist, connecting with the man's jaw. The man toppled over and then Mable did what any respectable woman would do._

_As he tried to sit up, she kicked him in the head and then quickly grabbed her savior's hand, pretty sure if she didn't leave soon that man would make it clear that he wasn't happy. The younger man to her surprise, laughed._

"_**Well, apparently you could have handled him by yourself. Darn I was hoping to be a knight in shining armor."**__ He commented as they stopped in the parking lot, he then looked at her, or at least she thought he was looking at her. It wasn't a patronizing stare…he just seemed to be observing her._

"_**So…where's your group?"**__ he asked and she shrugged._

"_**Whoever I manage to get a ride from."**__ She said and she saw him straighten._

"_**That's AWFULLY risky."**__ He retorted and she shrugged._

"_**I don't have any mugg-…I don't have any money for a bus."**__ She said catching herself. Bloody hell she needed to stop saying muggle this and muggle that. That word didn't exist here._

"_**Hmm…well I'm pretty sure that you won't get a ride from there after you kicked a local in the face…"**__ he commented and she grimaced. Alright not a bright move on her part but it was in the heat of the moment. He grinned, which she could see in the dim light._

"_**Well I could give you a lift. Me and my band were going to head out soon anyways."**__ He said and she perked up._

"_**Band? You're a singer?"**_

"_**Not a great one…but I'm good enough. I'm more of a guitar player."**__ He said looking at her a curious expression on his face. __**"Why?"**_

"_**Just find it funny…I'm a singer." **__She joked and he looked at her now a large grin on his face._

"_**Seriously?"**_

"_**Yup."**_

"_**Then trust me Lady...you'll fit right in with us three."**__ He said and began to walk towards a small van. Even though she had heard plenty of times not to trust strangers…not to go with them, because for all she knew he could have been a killer, she followed him. She got now feeling of danger of him._

"_**What's your name?" **__she asked and heard him chuckle._

"_**Maarten Prescott. You?"**_

"_**Mable. Mable Ellesmere."**_

* * *

_**18 Years Later**_

Cepheus stared at the article for a long time. His older sister had died. Been dead for 13 years…he couldn't fathom it. Couldn't fathom his niece being the lone witness to the tragedy. He had somewhat expected that something had happened to Mable. Whether she hated her family or not, she would have contacted them when Moria's powers came into the light. He had expected it, but had prayed to Merlin that it wasn't true. He glanced around his living room. Everyone was just sitting there a stunned look on their faces; his mother looked close to tears, his father looked sick.

"We need to tell her. Moria." Cepheus declared and Wulfric looked at him.

"Ceph-"

"No. Moria knows nothing about her full family…and whether or not she accepts us, it's up to her. But she needs deserves to at least know about her mother." Cepheus said and Wulfric was silent before sighing tiredly, almost in defeat.

"We'll talk to Dumbledore at the next Order meeting. He'll know when to tell her." Wulfric concluded and Cepheus nodded.

If anyone knew how to handle this…it would be Dumbledore.

* * *

Moria sneezed again earning a look from Lily and James.

"Are you getting a cold Moria?" James asked and Lily snorted.

"No I'm not. Just been sneezing a lot." Moria commented sniffling.

"Wonder if it could be about what happened last night."

"Oh not that again." Moria groaned glaring at Lily.

"Hey, you and Sirius were dumb enough to snog in the rain, what the bloody hell were you expecting?" Lily retorted and her husband chuckled as Moria's face turned red.

"I wasn't expecting to not get caught." She complained but they then turned around when they heard screams, automatically reaching for their wands. People scattered and they were shocked to see a young woman running away, being chased by several known Deatheaters. They couldn't see the girl's face as she had a hood covering her face but she was running for her life, clutching a bundle to her. And like most of the attacks, none of the citizens rushed to help her, only rushing away, trying to save their own skins. However James, Lily and Moria rushed towards them following the group. Hoping they got there before the girl was hurt.

Or worse.

* * *

The woman was breathing heavily. She should have just waited till night to try and move but she couldn't and now she had been caught. She cried out as she was hit by a hex on the ankle and fell to the ground, hitting her side hard. Still undeterred, she began to crawl away but stopped when a blasting hex burst a crate right in front of her. A startled cry came from the bundle and she didn't bother hushing it this time. Slowly she turned and now faced her worst fear. Deatheaters sneered at her.

"Did you really think you would get away mudblood? You should have stayed dead." One of them sneered and then pointed his wand at her. She whimpered but other than that made no sound. The Deatheaters all chuckled then aimed their wands at the helpless girl.

"Say hello to your parents for us. Avada-!" The first one began to say but was cut short by a trash can lid being slammed into the back of his head causing him to pitch forward. The other Deatheaters turned to see Lily, James, and Moria in the entrance of the alley.

"That hardly seems fair." Lily called out and the other Deatheaters, not caring about the girl on the ground anymore, aimed their wands at the trio. The girl scrambled out of the way, though not going very far, cowering behind a bunch of trashcans. The hexes and curses went flying which the three managed to avoid. Moria called out a hex which slammed into one of the Deatheaters propelling him into the wall behind the petrified girl. Several minutes later and the now defeated, they dispparated away.

"Bunch of cowards." James grumbled pocketing his wand and began to bind the two unconscious Deatheaters that hadn't escaped. Lily began to help her husband while Moria went over to help the girl. As she got to woman, almost as though fate intervened, her hood fell down to her shoulders. Moria stopped, obviously startled, gaining Lily and James's attention. They too stiffened in shock at the girl.

At a girl that they had believed for about two years to be dead.

* * *

Sirius and Remus rushed to Lily and James's apartment. They had each individually gotten a Patronus telling them they needed to get to the Potter's residence immediately. "Moria?! Prongs? Lily?!" they called out as they entered the home. The three adults looked up before Lily left going to a bedroom.

"We're here." Moria said getting up to greet Sirius, who automatically began to check her to see if there was any noticeable bruising. Thankfully there was none.

"What's wrong? The patronus said it was urgent." Sirius asked, glancing at his girlfriend before looking up at his best friend. James glanced at Remus uncomfortably.

"Good news and bad news…which do you want to hear first?" Moria finally asked.

"…Good news?" Remus finally stated, almost in a question. James swallowed.

"Good news is that we stopped some Deatheaters from killing an unarmed muggle-born witch while we were in town." Moria stated. Sirius stiffened.

"And the bad news?" he asked and Moria swallowed, clearly trying to figure out how to say this.

"It depends on how you take it." James finally stated and the two other men stared at him in confusion.

"What is THAT supposed to mean?"

"Well…" Moria trailed off.

"Would you two stop beating around the bloody bush and just come out with it?" Sirius asked, now growing annoyed. As though those had been the magic words, Lily returned with another person in tow. Sirius blinked in shock at the girl and noticed Remus grow pale and his jaw drop.

Because staring at them was a young woman their age, wearing extremely baggy clothes, her blue eyes roving around the room widening in shock, her long blond hair pulled in a low ponytail that reached her waist. In her arms was a small infant, completely asleep and oblivious to the mood.

Staring at them was Bryn.

* * *

"It's not possible." Sirius murmured as they observed Dumbledore talking to Bryn…or the woman who was impersonating Bryn. "It's not bloody possible that she's alive." He said. "Or that she has a kid." Remus had been unusually silent. Alice and Frank had arrived later on and like everyone else, Alice was flabbergasted.

"That would be the reason I quizzed he before you both got here. During those few months that I had to stay with Chelsea to try and get her out of that depression and she told me some of those things that only she and Bryn knew. Unless Bryn told them before she died, she passed each question I gave her." Moria stated. "And it's been over an hour since we found her, no Polyjuice potion would last that long." She continued.

"But she has a _kid_." Sirius exclaimed. "A kid! Besides the fact, how is it possible that a girl that the newspapers-both muggle and wizarding world- said had died is actually alive with a kid? How do we know she isn't lying?"

"The kid part can be easily explained. Other than that, I don't know." Moria said, swallowing. There was a way to check, but in all honesty she wasn't sure if any of them were prepared to do that. Especially Remus. He however noticed the look of hesitation.

"You're lying." Remus said softly and she grimaced. "You have an idea on how we can check to make sure this is the real Bryn or not." He continued and like clockwork everyone turned to stare at Moria. She swallowed.

"Well…what is it?" Sirius asked though he began to suspect what she had in mind. She was silent.

* * *

"This is ridiculous." Alice growled out as they silently walked through a graveyard. It had been nearly a day since Bryn had been found alive and they were now hoping to either prove or disprove the idea she was alive. "Not to mention illegal!" She added.

"Alice…"

"No. We're grave robbing!" Alice retorted angrily.

"It's not technically grave robbing." Moria stated.

"Disturbing a grave! It's still not right." Alice hissed out.

"Do you want to know if the girl who is currently being watched by Moody and Dumbledore is actually Bryn or not?" Moria stated. "I don't want to do this either. But we need to find out." She added. Alice frowned but didn't argue. They finally reached Bryn's gravesite which was situated on a hill. Alice silently cast several cover charms as well as sound silencing charms, most likely all she was going to do. Moria glanced at Remus who looked as though he was struggling to do this.

"You don't have to do this mate." Sirius stated also noticing Remus's distress, and turning to look at him. "Prongs and I will-"

"No. I can do this." He reaffirmed. The others were silent as though paying their respects to the grave they were about to desecrate. Then they started. As though the heavens began to cry at this atrocity it began to rain, further darkening the already somber mood. It took a little longer till they finally came to coffin. Moria did the rest, using magic to pull out the screws and move the lid away, letting it rest against the ground with a small thump. She glanced in, not really being surprised that "Bryn's" body still looked like the 16 year old Bryn they had known in Hogwarts. Moria had checked with Chelsea's parents and they had revealed to have put a charm that didn't age Bryn's body. So when they buried her and her parents she merely looked like she was sleeping. She then began examining the body. Alice however had already had enough.

"There are you happy? We desecrated a grave. Not just _**a **_grave. _**Her **_grave. One of our friends in school. How can you-!"

"It's not her." Moria interrupted and once again, everyone's faces swiveled to Moria's who was still staring at the body-which from what she said-had been a fake.

"What?" they heard Remus ask weakly. Moria was silent for a few seconds, staring at the body. She then closed her eyes and sighed rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Well for starters the shape of the face is all wrong. Bryn had a more round face. This woman has a triangular shaped face."

"But-!" Alice began to argue.

"Another would be this." Moria said lifting the head so they could see the top of it. At first no one saw the difference. Remus, however, saw the difference first.

The hair roots of the woman in the coffin were a dark brown, clearly showing that the girl had merely dyed her hair blonde and it wasn't her actual color.

"There's also this." Moria stated lifting up the corpses arm.

"What's wrong with the arm? I don't see anything." Sirius asked peering at it.

"That's the thing." Moria commented with a frown. "If someone was going to go for your neck wouldn't you try to block it? At all? There should at least be some defensive marks on the outer of her arm. Plus, in all the years that I knew Bryn…" Moria stated turning the arm to the inside to show light scars on the inside of her arm, towards the area where, if she was still breathing and alive veins would have being pushing precious blood through her system. "She never did drugs."

"Oh sweet Merlin." Moria heard Alice whisper.

"My best guess is, is that Deatheaters needed a substitute so no one would go looking for Bryn. So they found a woman that would be around her age, height, weight and looked like her to be the sacrificial lamb so to speak. They killed this woman and then placed her body where Bryn's would be. It would have been pretty easy. There would no need to be an autopsy. The cause of death was obvious." Moria stated placing the arm back where it had been in the coffin.

"But why? She's a muggleborn witch." Sirius asked. "Why take someone that they despise?"

"Why not?" Moria murmured. "She was young. By all definition good looking. And to Deatheaters, nothing special. Meaning there would be no regrets, no guilt. And none of us would have gone searching for the real Bryn. We didn't see the body, so why go looking for someone who was dead? And who would go looking for a missing druggie?" Moria asked and Remus looked now positively sick.

They all had been suckered and led to believe that one of their friends had died.

And now she was actually alive. And a mother to boot.

Which brought a new question to the surface, as the rain became a dull roar.

How much of the Bryn they had known…was actually still there?

* * *

"Moria? You okay?" Sirius asked later as they returned to one of the Order's meeting locations where Bryn was currently staying. She glanced up, tired, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She had just finished looking over the little boy, and had been shocked at how much he looked like his mother. The only major difference was his eyes, which were a darker blue, but other than that, he was completely his mother. And that had drained her even more.

"I'm not sure…I mean I'm glad that Bryn is alive and everything…and apparently after all the interrogation that Moody put her through is proof that she wasn't under the Imperius curse, even more that her son is alright…but…" she trailed off.

"Yeah. It's a shock." He agreed kissing his girlfriend's temple. She smiled softly leaning into Sirius for support and he realized how exhausted she must have been. It was one thing identifying a body, but reopening wounds that Moria had closed up with Bryn's death, and then to have more and more surprises added on, must have been exhausting. They were just about to leave when Dumbledore stopped them.

"I'm sorry to hold you up any longer, but I need to borrow Moria for a little bit. There are some pressing affairs she needs to settle before you two leave." He said and Sirius looked at Moria who looked confused.

"Shouldn't I go with her?" he asked, protectively wrapping his hand around hers.

"I do not believe so." He said kindly and she squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"It's okay, Sirius. I'll be right back." She said kissing his cheek. In all honesty she just wanted to leave, but what could a few more minutes do? She followed the Headmaster as he walked around the corridors. She had always been amazed that such a small house had such large corridors. Finally he stopped at one door and opened it. She blinked in confusion when she saw a small group of people. Two she recognized as Cepheus and Wulfric Ellesmere. The other three she had no clue.

"Ms. Prescott." Wulfric said, in an authoritative tone, probably a tone he was used to. Moria merely blinked indifferently.

"Yes?" she asked and now she saw they all had grown uncomfortable. Dumbledore was the first to speak.

"Moria, may I ask you a question?" he asked and she nodded, an eyebrow rising in confusion.

"Did you ever wonder about your mother's family? Her own lineage?" he asked and the other brow joined its' partner.

"Every now and then…didn't really matter. I couldn't ask her." She said cautiously making a short glance at the family who were now looking all anguished. "Why does it matter?"

"Do you remember her maiden name?" Cepheus finally asked. Moria was now becoming defensive and it was clear to anyone in the room that asking questions about her parents was not something she enjoyed answering.

"It started with an E. But like I said I don't remember. Why. Does. It. Matter?" she asked anger now evident in her voice. Cepheus swallowed then withdrew a picture from his pocket. Moria glanced at him before looking at the picture and her eyes widening.

She may have already been five when she lost her mother, but she could recognize that smile anywhere.

"Her last name was Ellesmere…and she was my…" he looked behind him at Wulfric and Mathilde. "Our older sister…" he finished. She just stared at the photo, her mother smiling back at her.

"But…she never had magic…"

"She…she was a squib." Wulfric managed to say and like clockwork, her head sprang up and he instantly knew that telling her that wasn't the appropriate thing to say, even if it was the truth.

"So…you disowned her because she was a Squib?" Moria hissed out her features now turning angry and for the whole Ellesmere clan it felt like they were looking at Mable again.

"No! We didn't-!" Fillius began to say but Moria shook her head.

"I've got to go." She murmured and then hurriedly left the room, leaving the adults there. Cepheus turned around angrily.

"Did you NEED to tell her that Wulfric?" he hissed out. Dumbledore however raised his hands calming the mood.

"She just needs time to think. It's been a trying day for her." He said and the Ellesmere family looked back at the empty hall now.

Wishing they could follow her…but knowing the couldn't.

* * *

Sirius looked up when he heard footsteps and blinked when he saw Moria hurrying out the hall, and leaving quickly.

"Mori-!" he began to say but she ignored him instead leaving, slamming the door shut. Knowing that wasn't normal for Moria, Sirius hurriedly said goodbye to Remus and Peter before rushing out after her. She was a little ways ahead of him, walking back home, hinting that she was REALLY upset since she would have just apparated away.

"Moria! Moria!" he called out finally catching up to her. "Moria. what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah right." He said sarcastically pulling her to where she was facing him. "Now what's really wrong?" he asked. She was silent for few moments, then, before he could react, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face into his chest. He looked down at her shocked, and grew even more worried when he saw her shoulders shaking and heard soft whimpering and sobs. He could count on one hand the times he had seen her cry, none had ever been in public.

"Moria? Sweetheart? What's wrong?" he asked, running his hands over her forearms. She shook her head into his chest, trying to stop crying, but to no avail. "Moria? Is your family okay?" she heard him ask and had to release a watery laugh at the irony of the question.

"They're fine...but I found out why that Deatheater called me a half-blood. Ironic that the enemy knew before me." She whispered out several tears gliding down her cheeks. He looked at her curiously.

"Unknown to me, my mother was a pureblood Squib." Moria whispered out and Sirius's eyes widened. She offered a bitter laugh. "Mable Ellesmere….bloody hell…why didn't she tell me?" she whispered out and Sirius was unable to answer her, doing the next thing he could do to comfort her. The only thing he could do. He pulled her close to him, and held her.

Hold her.

Hold her and try to figure out how to help her.

**OOOOHHHH BOY. A LOT TO TAKE IN. DON'T WORRY IT WILL SMOOTH OUT IN THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS.** **POOR MORIA...IT'S JUST BEEN A STRESSFUL FEW DAYS WITH BRYN COMING BACK TO LIFE. FINDING OUT YOU'RE A HALF-BLOOD AND THAT YOUR WIZARD FAMILY HAS BEEN ALIVE. MAN, SIRIUS HAS HIS WORK CUT OUT FOR HIM.**


	3. DIFFERENT YET THE SAME

It was late at night by the time Sirius and Moria arrived back at the apartment. Sirius glanced at Moria who seemed to be comatose. She had gone into shock, the anger gone. She had been thrown through a loop with this new development and in truth so was he.

He had only met the Ellesmere's once in his life. And that had been when he was five and had been dragged to a formal party with his parents. He remembered who he now realized was Wulfric and Cepheus, with their parents and younger sister. They had been ostracized by the party goers along with the Weasley family and were just talking to each other, apparently used to this. So naturally he went over to talk to them as a show of rebellion to his parents. They had seemed nice.

Who would have thought that they had disowned their eldest daughter? Washed their hands of her.

And he was now pissed off.

He pushed that anger down as he watched Moria change, quietly. After she had pulled on an oversized shirt-most likely one of his- over her shoulders, she wrapped her arms around herself as though to try to hold herself together. He walked up to her wrapping his arms around her waist. He sighed and pulled her to him, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Does this change your feelings for me?" she asked softly and he looked at her in shock.

"No. This doesn't change them at all. You are my Moria, and always have been." He said and she smiled in what looked like relief.

"Good…because if it did, I would hex your arse." She murmured and he chuckled, kissing her temple again.

"Let's go to sleep." He suggested and she nodded, heading to the bed. She laid down on her side and once he laid down as well, scooted over to him, resting her head on his chest listening to the beat of his heart and feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest. She closed her eyes as he pet her hair. They would figure this out together…

Wouldn't they?

* * *

Sirius sat at the table glancing at the bedroom. He could see Moria's form still lying in the bed. He felt his hand unconsciously clench in anger. Couldn't Dumbledore have waited a little bit? Or did the Ellesmere's not really care about her feelings and WANTED to drop a bombshell on her? Whichever the case he was pissed at the Ellesmere's for putting Moria on the spot like that.

He had never, NEVER seen Moria like that. The best word was in shock and emotionally distraught. He couldn't blame her for being like that…how could he? He probably would have been in the same type of state if he was in her shoes. Sighing he began to drink his tea, almost spitting it out when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his arms and looked up to see Moria had gotten out of bed.

"And you say I'm quiet? Bloody hell, I didn't even hear you get up." He said kissing her chin. She smiled kissing him.

"I'm pretty good at being quiet." She joked, sitting next to him.

"How are you?" he asked. She was silent for a few minutes.

"I don't know. On one hand, I'm happy. I now know why the Deatheaters kept calling me half-blood. And I know where my mom came from. On the other…" she trailed off for a few seconds. "On the other hand, I'm angry at both them and my mother. My mother for not telling any of us about her lineage…angry at them for washing their hands of my mother and not even thinking about her after she left. I know it's stupid to feel like that." She reprimanded and he shook his head kissing her cheek.

"It's not stupid Moria…you found out stuff that for 19 years you didn't know. I would have mixed feelings about something like that." Sirius said. She looked at him, almost in an observing way, and then smiled.

"Boy did I get lucky in the boyfriend department." She said kissing him softly and he smiled. He looked up when they heard a knock on the door and kissing Moria's forehead went to the door and opened it just slightly. His demeanor diminished. Wulfric stood there, a somber look on his face, almost guilt ridden.

"What do you want?" Sirius asked coldly, placing himself to where Wulfric couldn't get in.

"I just want to talk to her, Sirius."

"Seems to me, you did plenty last night." Sirius said glaring at him. Wulfric swallowed roughly glancing behind Sirius to see Moria standing at the entrance of the kitchen, just staring at him, her eyes vague. "If you don't leave, I'll-!" Sirius began to warn but stopped when Moria came placing a soft hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay Sirius…let him speak."

"Moria-!" he hissed out but with a soft look stopped, instead continued glaring at Wulfric. Clearly if Wulfric said the wrong thing and upset Moria again, a door slamming in his face would be the best outcome. Wulfric swallowed again.

"Look…we made a mistake telling you last night. Dumbledore suggested we should have waited, but we chose not to. Thinking back on it, finding out that one of your classmates that you thought had died turned out being alive, and then us dropping the bombshell that we're your maternal family…we can understand the way you reacted." Wulfric said. Silence greeted him. The silence was killing him, but he pressed on.

"We didn't disown your mother because she was a squib. In all honesty we could have cared less about that. It was more about…her career choice." He said and saw Moria stiffen. So did Sirius, and Wulfric saw the hand on the door tighten, warning Wulfric not to go down that road.

"Because she chose to be a singer?" Moria clarified and Wulfric nodded.

"Not a day goes by that they don't regret it. Now…with the news of…what happened, even more." Wulfric said and saw Moria blink, her eyes growing glassy. In the few weeks of finding out, he had tried-desperately-to put himself in her shoes when she had been five, to see such a horrid crash, her father dead…holding his older sisters' hand as she lay dying, most likely listening to Mable singing a lullaby to try and soothe her. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't. He couldn't even begin to imagine the pain she had gone through. His stomach lurched at the thought of his own daughter and son going through that and he wouldn't wish it on anyone.

But yet his niece had gone through that…and through more. He stared at her, seeing the same stubbornness that Mable had once had. He saw Moria looked as though she was struggling to say anything.

"We aren't expecting you to forgive us for what happened with your mother. We just thought if you ever wanted to know about your mother…her childhood, anything, it would be easier asking us then trying to do research." He stated now looking uncomfortable. "I'll leave you two alone, now." He stated and began to leave. He stopped when he heard Moria.

"I'll think about it." She said and he glanced at her to see staring at him with a soft smile on her face. He offered a smile back before disapparating. Moria sighed resting her head on Sirius's shoulder which he kissed the top of her head.

"So…do you want me to make breakfast?" he asked and she snorted, finally laughing.

"Sirius Orion Black, no matter what my mood is, there is no way I'm letting you burn down the kitchen, especially after what happened on Boxer Day last year." She said and he laughed as well.

* * *

Bryn shifted in her sleep, slightly confused as she realized she was on a couch. Or at least she thought it was a couch. For all she knew it was her imagination and she was in some alleyway. She also became aware of breathing that wasn't hers or Geoffrey's. She opened her eyes in confusion and was startled to be staring at light brown flecked with grey eyes staring at her. She panicked shooting backwards promptly falling off whatever she was lying on, backing up till she hit the wall. It was then she realized it was Remus who held up his hands, trying to calm her.

"It's okay. It's okay Bryn. You're safe." He said softly approaching her slowly. Bryn blinked and as he remembered her doing, cocked her head to the side as though trying to see if this was really him.

"Remus?" he heard her say is a soft, raspy voice that sounded foreign to him. He closed his eyes trying to swallow the pain. He had read the medical report that Moria and another healer had compiled. Scarring on her forearms and neck, most likely from the attack two years ago. Scars riddling her body some old, some new. Injured voice box. Some scars that he couldn't even begin to understand. A baby… So much more that he couldn't keep on reading.

He couldn't imagine the pain that she had gone through in two years…all the suffering. He was torn out of his thoughts when he sensed Bryn come up to him and then pulled the sides of his face.

"Owowowowowowowow!" he said pulling away rubbing his cheeks. She cocked her head to the side and smiled.

"Why so sad looking Remus? That's not you at all. Aren't you happy to see me?" she asked a bright smile on her face. He chuckled before drawing her into a hug.

"Of course I am Bryn." He said resting his chin on her head not seeing her face take on a deep red hue. "I missed you so much." He murmured. Bryn looked up at him shocked. He had missed her? She had hoped for that, but really didn't put a lot of faith into that hope. She blinked when he cupped her cheek gently.

"I'm sorry that you went through all this pain. All this…" he trailed off spotting the light scar etched across her neck. She gingerly touched the scar with a bitter smile etched on her face.

"It's okay…I don't really remember much of the attack. Which judging by how Moria and the other reacted when they saw me and then the interrogation…I presume it was really bad." She stated and he swallowed.

She had no idea.

Gingerly she touched his face, tracing his scars that had been etched into his face years ago. He closed his eyes leaning slightly to her touch. God he had missed her…missed seeing her smile, her laugh. Her very being.

"Well…you haven't changed a bit." She said but blinked when he pulled her to him, just holding her.

"You haven't either…you're still Bryn." He said and she laughed.

"Remus, you don't have to lie." She said and he shook his head.

"You're still Bryn." He repeated and she looked up at him, blushing.

"Remus…"

"You still smile the same way, you still act the same way-a bit mature-but still the same way. I mean you yanked my face to try and get my attention. When we were younger you would tackle people to get them to pay attention. You are Bryn." He concluded and she smiled a bright blush on her face. She tackled him wrapping her arms around his waist. She didn't see him blush. Too happy that for once in the two years that she defined as her time in hell, that she was safe.

Suddenly a very outraged squall sounded, forcing the Suddenly a very outraged squall sounded, forcing the pair away. Bryn gave a relieved sound.

"Geoffrey." She whispered out, picking up the infant who _HAD_ been asleep until seconds ago, curled up to his mother's warmth. "Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to wake you up." She apologized. The infant squirmed, fussing. Remus watched him and then up at Bryn, who was smiling softly.

"Who's his father?" Remus asked, glancing down. The infant latched eye contact with him as Bryn chuckled, shaking her head.

"I don't know." She responded. He looked at her in surprise, almost in pain. "It was too dark where I was imprisoned to actually see his face when it all happened. I don't really care." She added. "What's done is done. And I can't change it." She commented, glancing at Remus. "Don't give me that look. It's not any of your faults."

"But if we hadn't believed so readily that you were dead-"

"Anything could have happened. I don't try and think about the 'what if' factors. I wouldn't be a good mother if I did that." She explained, watching as Geoffrey squirmed, trying to get a better look at Remus. It wasn't too surprising, she realized. He hadn't really ever been near other people. She offered a smile. "Do you want to hold him?"

He balked, completely petrified at that idea. "I don't…I mean…he's only a baby-"

"Not glass." She commented, with a laugh. "Besides, he's a tough baby considering he's lived a good amount of time with me on the streets for six months." She continued, walking over to him. He stuttered, trying to figure some way of saying no without either hurting her, or giving away that he was werewolf. But any objection disappeared when Geoffrey squirmed and reached towards him. Hesitantly, he offered his hands and she gently shifted her hold on the infant to him. He was stiff at first, almost as though the boy would shatter if he moved an inch. Geoffrey took control, settling in his arms and looking up at Remus after getting comfortable.

"Um…hi?" he asked hesitantly, looking at the infant. The little baby stared at him and let out a squeal, laughing and reaching for Remus's face. Remus blinked in surprise and glanced at Bryn who was smiling softly. It was peaceful. So, so peaceful.

* * *

"So when are you telling Chelsea?" Lily asked Moria. Moria sighed looking at her cup of tea shaking her head.

"I don't know…I'm not sure how I can tell her. You guys weren't there when I convinced her Bryn was dead. She was an absolute wreck. I'm not sure if she'll jump for joy, or call me a liar. And no doubt she'll murder me if she finds out that I dug up the gravesite." Moria stated. Lily offered her a pat on the shoulder.

"You'll figure it out. You're smart like that." She stated. She then glanced at Moria. "On another note…this whole thing about the Ellesmere's, what are your thoughts?" Lily asked. Moria was silent once again stared at her cup.

"To say I'm scared would be an understatement. I'm bloody petrified."

"Why? It seems to me that they're…apologetic with what had happened between them and your mum." Lily asked. Moria stared at the table.

"Because they don't know my past…they don't know about the scars, Malcolm, anything. I may be curious about my mother…but I don't want them to feel even guiltier about them not being in my life. And I may not be the grandchild or niece they were expecting." Moria stated drinking a sip of her tea.

"Not expecting? What does that mean?" Lily said.

"Lily, you know for a fact that my childhood was never…easy. Besides losing my parents, and living with an abusive uncle, I wasn't exactly the best of people to get along with. I was…angry…" She trailed off. "Angry is the best word for me back then. I was always angry at someone or something, always getting into fights, me normally losing those fights mind you, trying to survive on the streets. Thankfully my temper settled to that lovely placid façade when you met me." Moria said her eyes barely lifting its' gaze from the table. "But still…it's not a pretty picture."

"Moria…I've told you over and over again your past shows how strong you are…how much you've survived. And to Alice and me…that shows how brave you are. And if they can't see that…then to bloody hell to them." Lily stated with an angry huff. Moria laughed.

"Well at least I know why your one of my best friends." She stated with a smile and Lily grinned.

"But of course." Lily remarked as the continued drinking their tea. The two friends laughed and Moria noted a light glow to Lily.

"Boy James must be treating you well if you're glowing like that." Moria stated. "It's barely 1979 and barely been a year since you two married." She joked and Lily blushed. "I think someone is enjoying a certain part of J-!" she began to say though she was interrupted by Lily clamping her hand over Moria's mouth her face a bright red. Moria burst out laughing, forgetting all about the troubles of her family and of Bryn.

* * *

Bryn cringed as she drank yet another medical potion, scrunching up her nose at the horrid stench. She heard Remus laugh and glared at him as well as the infant who seemed to follow suit.

"Laugh it up. This stuff reeks." She complained as she sat back down next to him. "So now for a change of subject…how have you been for two years?" she asked looking up at him. He was silent for a little bit.

"I've been fine…taking some jobs here and there. None of them really stuck though." He said skirting his secret. She sighed, pushing her hair back.

"I see. How's everyone else? What else did I miss?"

"Well Lily and James got married, Sirius, Lily, and James are Aurors trainees, Moria's a trainee Healer, Chelsea is a healer. Sirius and Moria moved in together-"

"Wait. What? Since when were those two a couple?"

"Oh yeah…well apparently in our sixth year Moria and Sirius started going out. They managed to keep it under wraps till the beginning of our seventh year due to an accident that sort of revealed it." Remus said and Bryn blinked.

"Wow…I missed a lot." Bryn murmured and he frowned.

"We all missed you Bryn. To tell you the truth, the seventh year didn't really feel the same with you gone." He said offhandedly and then blushed when he realized what he said. Bryn blinked and blushed, her face turning a slight hue of red. Remus coughed but then thankfully heard the door opening and then closing.

"I'll go see who it is." He said and she nodded watching him quickly leave the room and her blush turned a deeper shade of red, much to her chagrin. She looked at Geoffrey who was gurgling happily. She groaned.

So much for getting over him.

* * *

Moria glanced up at Remus who was coming down the steps then glanced at Sirius questionably. He shrugged. Apparently Remus had either come earlier than them or had stayed the night. Considering that he was wearing the same clothes as the other day he had stayed the night.

"She awake?" Moria asked and Remus nodded a faint blush on his face. Moria glanced at him quizzically, before climbing the steps and after a few minutes.

"So you tell her yet?" Sirius asked and Remus glared at him. "I'll take that as a big fat no."

"I haven't told her."

"If I remember correctly you're the one that got my arse to tell Moria I loved her. What was it again? Oh yeah. It was something about how you regretted telling your feelings to Bryn." Sirius stated. "So why the bloody hell haven't you told her?" Sirius asked crossing his arms as Remus looked at him, clearly not noticing the two females exiting the room, one holding her son, and about ready to go down the stairs but stopped when they saw them both.

"How am I supposed to tell a girl that I've had feelings for since my fourth year that I care about her, when she's gone through hell and back!?"

"Well you could always look up." Moria stated glancing at Bryn whose face was now rivaling a tomato. Remus glanced up and the other two watched as his face turned a shade of red that they had never seen. Moria retrieved Geoffrey, walked down, and grabbed Sirius's arm.

"We're going to be outside."

"Awww….but Moria-!" Sirius began to complain but was stopped when Moria kissed him, and while he was still dazed, quite literally dragged him out. He glared at her when they exited the building.

"That's not fair, using my weakness for you as a weapon." He complained dragging her into his arms with a pout etched on his face. She grinned, pecking his lips.

"All's fair in love Sirius. Besides, those two are shy as hell. No way were they going to say anything to each other if we were standing there." She said, looking down at Geoffrey with a smile. The infant gurgled happily playing with the strands of Moria's hair.

"So…wanna bet that they're just standing there staring at each other?"

"Please…I bet they're already snogging. Or Bryn literally tackled him." She joked. He smirked.

"What's the prize if I win?" he asked and she smirked.

"I think you already have something in mind." She commented before glancing at the window next to the door and smirked. "Doesn't really matter. I won." She said and he quickly looked in the window as well and saw that Bryn and Remus were now hugging and judging by the shy smile on Remus's face something had happened in the nearly two minutes they had been outside.

"Dang."

"Aw don't worry Sirius Black. I have a suspicion my prize will be the same as yours if you had won." She said and earned a small growl from him.

* * *

Chelsea looked up from the Daily Prophet she was reading at the sound of the doorbell being rung. Cautiously she went to the door, opening it at the sight of Moria.

"Moria? What's up? I wasn't expecting a visit from you." Chelsea stated letting her friend in. Moria offered a small smile before sitting down.

"What's wrong? Is someone hurt?" Chelsea asked worriedly. Moria shook her head.

"No…no one's hurt. This is about…this is about Bryn." Moria said and Chelsea just froze staring at her. "I didn't want anyone else telling you. A few days ago, Lily, James, and I fought against some Deatheaters that were chasing after a girl. They were defeated and the girl was safe. But…" Moria trailed off. Here it goes. "The girl turned out Bryn." She said and Chelsea looked shocked for a second before fury took over.

"That's an awful joke. Bryn is dead." Chelsea snarled out. Moria shook her head.

"I was the one who I identified her, Chelsea."

"Then you're lying! I watched as they buried her! How do you explain that?!"

"The funeral wasn't an open casket. The body was a sham." Moria said

"HOW DO YOU KNOW!?" she screamed. Moria was silent and Chelsea realized the implication. Fury again took over her.

"GET OUT! **GET OUT!**" Chelsea screamed. Moria stood and as she got to the door, stopped.

"She knows the real reason you became a Healer, Chelsea. Not the reason you gave everyone." She said before leaving. Chelsea stared at the door, before sliding onto the ground sobbing. Moria stared at the door before shaking her head and apparating away.

Bryn was currently humming to Geoffrey, bouncing him slightly. Remus merely observed the pair, glancing at Bryn's face, which looked like a girl who had gotten a puppy. In all honesty he could understand why. She was safe…not on the run, living on the streets, living day by day, worrying about her son's safety…

"_And she has you."_ A voice reasoned in the back of his mind. He swallowed. He was still nervous about their…relationship…he didn't know how they would end up. He would just have to see it through. But even if he was worried about how their relationship would turn out, how it would end; one thing was also clear.

Right then, at that very moment, he was incredibly and undoubtedly…happy.


	4. LOGAN

Chelsea stood in front the closed door. She was hesitant to enter. Remus was downstairs with the others as she was attempting to force herself to see Bryn.

Bryn.

How she had dreamed for two years to see Bryn again, but here she was hesitating. She hadn't spoken to Moria since she had last visited. She would still need a few more days before she could even face her. But she needed to see this Bryn. See if it really was her Bryn she knew. Slowly she knocked on the door and waited hearing soft footsteps before the door clicking open. Bryn stood there for a moment with a look of shock on her face. She then smiled brightly and tackled the older girl.

"Chelsea." Bryn said happily. Chelsea stood there stunned for a moment taking in this Bryn. She was older and it obviously showed, most likely due to the stress. She was wearing trousers that obviously had once been just for sleeping, and a baggy shirt. Tears burned her eyes, begging to fall down, but she held them back. She just held Bryn.

"Missed you, you dolt." She murmured and heard Bryn laugh.

* * *

Madge sat at the coffee shop swirling her drink with a coffee stick, almost nervous. It wasn't because of the Wizarding War that her niece was fighting in. But it did involve Moria. She just had to hope Moria wouldn't take this too badly.

Oh who was she fooling? Moria wasn't going to be happy at all.

"Bloody hell…" she murmured.

"Aunt Madge?" she heard a turned to see Moria. She smiled.

"Hey sweetie, how are you?" she asked. Moria sighed.

"Tired. The war is still raging." She said, sitting down next to Madge. A waiter came a few seconds and took an order of tea from Moria. "How about you?" She asked and Madge could see the tiredness that was obvious in Moria's face. She forced a smile.

"Well I eloped." She said and Moria's face blanched.

"Wait what? But you said that you didn't want to get married, because you couldn't have kids." Moria asked. Madge smiled.

"He's older and his last wife died. He has two kids…they're still in school." Madge explained, blushing. Moria smiled at her aunt.

"That's great Aunt Madge. And of course you would elope. That's so…you." She joked and Madge smiled. "Anything else?" Moria asked. Madge smiled.

"Well it seems Martin found a girl in Australia that has caught his eye." Madge said and Moria smiled.

"Well that's good." She said but then looked at Madge, curiously. "But I don't think this is the only reason you asked if I could meet you." She said. Madge was silent staring at her then looked at her coffee.

"They released Malcolm." She said quickly and heard a loud clink of a spoon falling back onto the table. She looked up to see Moria staring at her, her eyes wide and owl-like, her features paling.

"What?" Moria asked and Madge shifted uncomfortable.

"They released Malcolm about two months ago. He passed the tests that deemed him capable of-!"

"Of what?! Being sane?! Why wasn't I told any of this?!" Moria hissed out, angrily. Madge shifted uncomfortably again.

"We didn't hide it from you. To be honest we just found out a day or so ago."

"Do they even CARE what he did to me?" Moria asked her voice harsh and laced with betrayal. She didn't even want to think on what would have happened if he had walked past her or-Merlin forbid- walked past Sirius. She knew that either scenario would have ended badly.

"I know sweetie. But for the past two years he's been on his best behavior." Madge said and Moria folded her arms looking angry.

"That would be because I didn't visit HIM. What? Does that mean if I hadn't been FORCED to see him, he would have gotten out earlier?" she hissed out, angry. Madge was silent.

"He promised he would keep away from you." Madge tried say and Moria glared at her.

"Do you HONESTLY think he will keep that promise? Aunt Madge, that man doesn't give a damn how much he scares me. He'll get as close as he wants. He'll just stop beating me in public." She snarled out, gaining a few glances from bystanders.

"I know sweetie." Madge whispered; hurt edged in her voice. Moria sighed rubbing her forehead.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound angry at you. I'm not." She apologized and Madge offered a soft smile.

"I know. You had every right to know the moment he got out, especially what he did to you." She said. Moria blew out a breath in a concentrated stream, trying to relax.

"We'll figure this out." Madge reprimanded and Moria slowly nodded. They were silent for a little while, then Madge spoke.

"So…anything happen recently?" she asked and Moria snorted.

"Oh you have no idea."

* * *

Sirius grumbled as they sat at a local café, watching as couples passed by.

"This is boring." He complained glancing at the remaining couples. James looked at him amused.

"That's just because you don't have Moria with you." Remus stated taking a gulp of his drink. Sirius glared at him.

"So? Look at you. Bryn acted like a puppy when you went up to see if she wanted anything when Chelsea was there. And let's not forget her little Mini-me who started squealing the moment he spotted you." Sirius grumbled crossing his arms. He was annoyed that she wasn't there, that was true, but she already had plans. He wasn't happy that he was stuck with the Ellesmere's brothers though. Moria may have been somewhat willing to acknowledge them, even try to forgive them, he wasn't. They didn't know how much pain she had gone through as a kid, they didn't know her fears, her pain.

They didn't know her.

He shot them a glare, which he could tell Wulfric noticed. But they were on a mission together and it had just ended. The two brothers had offered everyone coffee and they had been polite enough to accept. Sirius glanced at his friends and saw Alice was squinting into the crowd as though she was analyzing someone. Her eyes then widened.

"Please tell me that isn't who I think it is." She hissed out, pointing. They all automatically turned, expecting to see a familiar face of a Deatheater. To Cepheus and Wulfric, what they saw parallel to Alice's pointing finger was a middle-aged man who was purchasing a newspaper. But for Lily, James, Remus, Frank, Alice, and Sirius-whose heartbeats skyrocketed- that man was someone they had only met once, but knew what he had done in the past.

Malcolm.

"What is he doing out of the asylum?" Lily hissed out. Wulfric and Cepheus glanced at each other in confusion.

"No offense…but why do you blokes know anyone from an asylum?" Cepheus asked and Sirius glowered.

"We don't know…HIM…personally, but Mori-" He growled out, but then noticed a young woman walking by Malcolm, absorbed in a book, seemingly still able to weave past the crowd. His heart, which at that point was beating unnaturally fast, now began to beat faster.

While in most occasions he found that situation so adorable, at that moment, Moria didn't notice Malcolm. But he noticed her and pushed several bystanders, causing several of them to glare at him, as he began to follow Moria out of their field of vision.

"Oh no, he's following Moria. Sirius-!" Lily began to say and turned but saw Sirius had already vacated his seat and had taken off out of the café and from the look that the group saw on his face as he passed by…he was pissed.

"Oh, bloody hell. This isn't going to end well." James grumbled and like that the group followed him. Cepheus and Wulfric looked at each other then got up.

"Uh sir…you haven't paid-!" a waiter began to say but Wulfric slammed down some muggle money.

"Keep the change." He called out as the two older adults raced out to follow the group still utterly confused about what that man had done that had both worried and angered the group so much.

* * *

Moria sighed as she continued reading trying to calm her nerves. The hustle and bustle of the city had all but faded to her as she read another page, the worry melting from her as she continued. But it was still in her mind. She just had to pray that she didn't run into-

Her mind was pulled out of her imagination as a large hand grabbed her free arm, pulling her back. She turned expecting someone she knew. Which it was. Unfortunately it was the one man that held her in fear as a child, and regrettably still caused her fear in her adult life.

"Well, well. If it isn't my darling niece…why don't you say hello to your dear, dear uncle." Malcolm sneered as Moria stared, her eyes wide in shock. She then quickly yanked her hand out of his grip, her eyes narrow.

"Leave me alone." She warned angrily. He chuckled.

"Ah little Moria. Still unable to hold back your emotions I see." He teased which made her shudder.

"That wasn't a request. Back. Off." She growled out. He however did no such thing and she felt her arms become light weights, her legs like stone.

"What are you going to do now Moria?" he whispered out pulling her chin up so she was looking at his face. "No asylum workers here for you now." And she let out a small sound, and he smirked.

"Yeah but then there's me." A voice interjected and Moria felt someone yank her away and then push her behind them. She looked up and in relief saw it was Sirius who was glaring angrily at Malcolm.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he snarled out, intertwining his hand with hers, seeing that she was shaking. "More importantly, what the HELL are you doing out of the asylum? I don't remember them having field trips." He growled out. Malcolm shrugged with a smirk on his face.

"Got out two months ago. Or didn't little Moria tell you that?" he asked. Sirius glanced at her and saw she was glaring at Malcolm angrily.

"Kind of hard to tell him that when I found out TODAY!" she hissed out, her voice cracking slightly, giving hint on how truly upset she was. Sirius returned his gaze back to Malcolm.

"Oh, dear me, did they fail to mention my release to you. Pity." He said and Sirius growled.

"You better stay away from her, Malcolm." He warned as the others rushed up and took protective stances around Moria. He chuckled not really caring.

"Ah…I remember someone saying the same thing to me when she was eight. What was that boy's name, Moria? Logan, wasn't it?" he asked and Sirius saw Moria still, her eyes widening just slightly. Malcolm noticed and sneered.

"I'm right am I? Pity, he was the only one that believed your story…everyone else believed that you were merely a brat who didn't know how to control yourself when it came to fighting."

"Shut up." She murmured, her grip on Sirius's hand tightening.

"How did he die again?" Malcolm asked and Sirius began to feel Moria shaking again. Malcolm sneered. "Ah yes now I remember. He got caught in a drive-by didn't he?"

"I said shut up." Moria said louder, her voice shaking slightly.

"Just took one good shot to the chest and he was gone. Maybe he didn't want to be burdened with your problems anymore." Malcolm said and Moria looked up at him anger obvious in her face.

"SHUT UP!" she snarled out, shocking her friends. Sirius looked at her in confusion. She had never told them about a boy named Logan, but whoever he was; his name still hit a very sensitive nerve. He looked back at Malcolm his own anger brewing.

"Listen you son of a-" he began to snarl out but Wulfric and Cepheus entered the scene. One look at their niece and they looked at the older man.

"Sirius, why don't you take Moria home?" Wulfric asked. Sirius was about to object but when he glanced at Moria and saw that she was near tears and shaking horribly. He nodded and gently squeezing her hand dragged her away, followed by their friends. Malcolm looked at the pair un-amused.

"And you would be?" he asked before Wulfric grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, glaring at him angrily.

"Her uncles. Who the bloody hell are you?" Cepheus snarled out. Malcolm looked at them confused then comprehension dawned on him and he sneered.

"Ah…so you're the bitch's brothers. Can't say I wasn't disappointed with her dying." He said and saw Cepheus turn red and Wulfric's eyes take a dangerous glint.

"If you value anything, I suggest you recant that." Wulfric growled tightening his grip on the shirt. Malcolm shrugged.

"I could care less. I will not lie, I despised your sister. I despise the brat she sired. I despise the very essence of those two. And Moria knows it. I bet she hasn't even told you, has she?" he asked and the two men froze. He sneered. "Figures. That little brat never told a soul after her first toy was killed." He said.

"You will be silent. If you call my niece a brat or anything like that, if you call my sister any name in front of me, you WILL regret it."

"I am her uncle too. I can call her ANYTHING that I want to. And she will do NOTHING. She is far too use to that." Malcolm sneered as the other two balked and looked at each other in confusion.

"How can you treat your own blood like that?!" Cepheus snarled out. He couldn't believe this man. He had regretted missing Moria in the years that she grew up, yet this man seemed to not give a bloody damn about her. Malcolm chuckled.

"She hasn't told you of the three years after my brother and that woman died has she? Well, let me make it incredibly clear to you. I hated her. I made sure that she knew that. And she will carry those scars for her life. Every time she looks at her back and sees the scars that I gave her, she will remember that she will never be free of me." He snarled out and the two men froze. Wulfric snarled and tossed him away like trash.

"You will stay away from her. If you don't you will regret it. I will make sure you regret it."

"By doing what? Using that 'magic' that Moria has? And don't act so surprised. I find out things. She's very informative." He hissed out. Wulfric was silent, before he slammed his fist into Malcolm's jaw and watched the head snap to the side slightly and Malcolm stumble.

"Then I don't have to try and figure out how to do it a muggle way." Wulfric warned. "Because I have no problem going after you if you hurt my family. This isn't a warning. This is a promise. You go anywhere NEAR my niece and after Sirius is finished with you, I will PERSONALLY make your life a living hell." He added. And with that he dragged his brother away. Cepheus grinned.

"If I ever call you a coward again, I'm lying." He said and Wulfric smirked.

* * *

Sirius sighed closing the door to the apartment. Moria was leaning on the sofa, her eyes closed. She then reopened them and sighed, sniffling.

"Sorry…" she said and he shook his head.

"Don't be. That prick should have kept a country's length away from you. How are you feeling anyway?" He asked, dragging her to him and into a hug. She sighed softly.

"Better...it's just been a long day. I could use a boatload of coffee. And maybe a punching bag."

'Hey, just say the word and James, Peter, and I will jump him in our animagus forms and beat him up for you." He offered and she laughed resting her face on his chest.

"That might look a bit odd, since deer aren't really known to roam the streets of London with a dog and a rat as companions. Or at least the heart of London. But I'll keep that in mind." She said laughing softly. "Thanks." She added and he grinned.

"That's what boyfriends are for. Beat up guys who hurt their girls." He said, resting his chin on her forehead. He was silent for a few minutes.

"Who was Logan?" he asked and she stilled before sighing.

"Back when I lived with Malcolm, I didn't have friends…at least a lot of friends. No one believed that Malcolm would do such a thing to me, and since I did in fact fight a lot when I was young, they summed up my injuries to that. And then there was Logan. He wasn't like a lot of the kids…I'm not sure if he had gone through something similar and knew what it felt like to be heard but not believed, or he could see that some of the injuries I had weren't all from the fights that I got into. So he became my protector of sorts…and for those three years he became my closest friend." She explained. He looked at her. He knew that whatever had happened to him; be it his fate was like what Malcolm had said or something different…it probably didn't end well.

"When I was eight…a few weeks before the secret came out to my family…we were playing football at the basketball court. He had kicked the ball too far, and it had rolled into a ditch. I went to get it, and I had the perfect cover from the street. And when I bent down to retrieve it…it sounded like fireworks going off. But none of us were idiots. Gunfire. I turned around just in time to hear whoever had fired the shots rush away in their car. And to see Logan just standing there…almost surprised." She let out a slight, bitter laugh. "I barely managed to catch him when he fell."

"Moria…" he murmured. She shook her head.

"I tried to keep him alive…at least until the ambulance came. But he didn't…like Malcolm said. A shot through the chest. He just lived long enough to give me his 'good luck' charm and then just…died." She continued explaining, almost bitter. Good luck charm? That hadn't been a good luck charm. "I think somewhere in me…I snapped because of that. I became angry at everything and everyone. I let Malcolm hit me a lot more, it didn't matter for me. No one believed me but Logan. But then…within weeks of his death, Malcolm was taken away and I was living with my family. I was safe." She said closing her eyes. "But still he died because I-"

"He didn't die because of anything you did." Sirius interrupted. "Merlin, Moria. You tried to save his life." He said and she looked up at him. "What do muggles call them…Guardian Angels?" he asked and she nodded.

"Maybe Logan was just that. He kept you as safe as he could when he was alive and then just weeks after he died, you were placed in a safer living environment. Maybe he became a guardian angel for you." He said and she was silent, before kissing his cheek.

"I swear Sirius Orion Black, there are few and far between moments but some of the stuff you say to me is the sweetest things ever.

"What are you talking about? I always leave the sweet words for you." He joked and she laughed again and with that laugh, he knew she would be alright.

**SO WHAT DO YOU THINK~?**


	5. MERELY A PUPPET PART 1

Moria blew a stray piece of hair out of her face as she watched Lily file another letter she was reviewing. It had been a few months since her encounter with Malcolm, the beginning of October.

"And here I thought my healing duties were boring." She stated and heard Lily chuckle. Moria then glanced at her friend.

"So how have you been? James shagging you enough?" she joked and Lily's face went bright red.

"Are you positive that you aren't a guy? You sure as hell act like one." She grumbled and Moria grinned.

"If you remember who my boyfriend is…"

"Point taken. But as I've said before it is none of your business." Lily retorted placing a box in front of her and opening it, pulling out another paper in front of her to read.

"And here I thought us girls liked to talk about our sex lives." Moria joked. "Or at least that's what all my uncles, and Sirius thinks. As one of your best friends I think it's my job to…Lily? What's wrong?" she had started to tease but then grew concerned as she saw Lily staring at a letter, her mouth open, eyes wide, and her face pale. "Lil?" Moria asked again and walked over to her, gingerly taking the letter and stared at it. Soon after her eyes widened. A letter to Lily. Written in blood.

"_**Scream to me, you heathen.  
Your voice dwindles away.  
I've suffered for you,  
So you can find your way.**_

_**No longer are you going to hold me back,  
force me down.  
Tie me up,  
pull me around.  
**_

_**So push back the tears  
that try to escape,  
because of those fears  
that you have made.**_

_**These puppets of  
mine  
They move as I  
pull  
It's hard to  
believe  
They once had a  
soul**_

_**String won't do, so**_  
_**rope is a must**_  
_**That way when I**_  
_**pull**_  
_**Their bodies**_  
_**violently thrust**_

_**I pull at these**_  
_**puppets**_  
_**I am their God**_  
_**But I take away**_  
_**free will**_  
_**Because it's not their right, nor**_  
_**law**_

_**Dance**_  
_**my lovelies**_  
_**Bend to**_  
_**my will**_  
_**As I pull at**_  
_**your harness's**_  
_**As you wish**_  
_**I'd have killed"**_

She was silent for several seconds. She then observed what was actually in the box. Her heart dropped when she spotted a puppet girl, with deep red hair, nearly identical to that of Lily's. Green painted eyes stared at her and a noose had been wrapped around the doll's neck. She blinked still for a few seconds, before she grabbed the box, stuffed the letter in it and with the other hand grabbing Lily's hand and promptly began to drag the still stunned girl behind her. She dragged Lily throughout the Auror headquarters till she saw a face that she saw every night. Sirius glanced up from his own desk and grinned at his girlfriend, but that grin slowly dissipated as Moria walked up to him before plopping the box onto the desk.

"We have a problem." She said shortly. Sirius glanced at her then at the contents of the box. He pulled out the note and began to read it. She then went to tend to Lily as she heard Sirius get up quickly and then took off running. She knew exactly where he was going. She glanced up when she heard footsteps and saw Sirius being followed by yet another familiar face.

James Potter.

* * *

"She needs protection! I'll be her bodyguard!" James argued to Moody and Elphinstone who were frowning. Lily looked at her husband angrily, knowing that there were other missions that he could take and not one that needed to be babysitting her.

"Moria can do that perfectly fine!"

"Uh…I'm a healer…if this person is serious about trying to get you Lily, I'm pretty sure the spells I know would do absolute squat." Moria intervened before James could say anything.

"Well then Sirius-!"

"Mrs. Potter…I'll have to agree with your husband and Prescott. Potter will be your bodyguard 24/7 until we get to the bottom of this." Elphinstone said.

"But-!"

"It's either him or a cell." Moody interjected gruffly and Lily sat there in shock before nodding curtly, anger in blatant on her face.

* * *

Lily released a low breath as she finished yet another stack of papers. Working seemed to be the only thing that was keeping her sanity from both the fear of the person who had sent the letter and for the pair of eyes she could feel staring into her back.

James rested against the opposite wall staring at Lily. He felt himself tighten as she sighed and pushed her hair back, his trousers becoming inexplicably tighter in the nether region.

"_Cool it Potter…your wife needs you more to protect her than to fantasize about her."_ He heard himself say. But then another, stronger voice interjected.

"_She's your wife. What better way to protect her?" _He thought which made sense to him. Too bad it was only in his head and he needed to be active and prepared. However even though it was in his head, his body began to move on its' own, moving away from the wall.

"Lily." He said roughly as he walked towards her. Lily looked up and then stood in shock at the look on James's face. This wasn't Auror Potter. This was just James Potter. _**Her**_ James.

"James?" She asked as she moved away from her desk as he advanced to her till she was pressed against the wall and he placed both his hands on the wall, essentially trapping her. She looked at him in shock but didn't speak her face turning into a warm hue of red. He captured her in a passionate kiss that left her mind reeling and herself breathless, the same type of kiss that had made her positive that she was in love with him, and in love with him and marry him after only dating a year. He tried to move away, but she whimpered and pulling him towards her again and they were kissing again.

"Say it…" he finally asked moving an inch away from her. Her face was flushed, her lips swollen and her eyes partially open. "Say you want me…" he said his voice rough.

"I want you James." She murmured and she thought she heard him say 'thank God' but her mind barely registered it before he captured her mouth into another kiss pulling her to him and lifting her up. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist, gasping against his mouth as he tore her shirt open; sliding his hands down the sleek curve of her waist. She groaned enjoying the feel of his muscles against her stomach. He then quickly walked towards her room and as soon as he entered kicked the door closed with his foot.

* * *

"I bet you 2 Galleons that they won't last 3 hours." Remus stated as he read a newspaper article sitting next to Sirius who was just relaxing in his living room of his and Moria's flat.

"Please….3 Galleons they won't last two." Sirius retorted.

"4 Galleons they're already doing it." Moria stated as she came out of the bedroom. "Because this is James and Lily. Not Alice and Frank."

"True, true." Sirius stated with a joking manner "Or maybe sort of like us." Sirius teased giving her a mischievous grin and she laughed.

"Maybe if you're good I'll have to give you something tonight." She added to the joke.

"Innocent bystander who doesn't need to hear this in here." Remus called out and the other two laughed.

"Oh please, like you haven't done that with Bryn." Sirius said and earned a heated glare as Remus's face turned red.

"So anything about that creepy note?" Sirius asked Moria. While she may not have been an auror, they still wanted someone outside the Ministry looking at it. It had gone through the inspections so that meant there was possibly someone inside who had sent the package to Lily.

"Not much to say." Moria stated, sitting down with a huff. "It's pretty obvious that this person has no problem either with Lily or with Lily being with James."

"And you think that because…"

"A puppet is something you can control. Whoever sent her the package probably saw her as his…for lack of a better word…puppet, and he, or she, as the puppeteer. Her being with James isn't going along with his plans."

"Someone like Snivellus?" Sirius asked. Moria gave him a look.

"I highly doubt he would have gotten that lovely package through security. How about coworkers? Anyone who has a really odd fascination with Lily?" Moria asked. "Or for that matter puppets?"

Sirius was silent, contemplating. He then blinked; his brow furrowing in realization. That bloke that always flirted with Lily…but he couldn't have been the one. He was harmless.

Right?

"There's one…I guess."

"And that is?"

"Grogan Wilkins."

* * *

Lily shifted slightly curling under the sheet, sighing. She felt drained and for once in her life she didn't mind it. She smiled as she felt an arm wrap around her waist pulling her closer to him. His body was warm against hers, probably the aftermath of their lovemaking and she felt peaceful and safe. She turned slightly to see James sleeping or at least she thought he was sleeping.

"I love you…" he murmured and she smiled.

"I figured that when we got married. But just so you know, I love you too." She said and he grinned.

He kissed her again but before anything could happen his pager went off. The pair groaned as James turned looking around in his pile of clothes for the infernal device. He finally found it and sat up putting on his glasses to be able to see the short message. She sat up as well, pulling the sheet up to cover herself. She felt him stiffen.

"What? What is it?" she asked.

"Sirius is in trouble." He whispered out and alarm filled her.

"Is Moria-!"

"No…she would be at work right now." James figured and looked at Lily in a panic. He didn't know what to do. Lily was the love his life…but Sirius was his best mate and closest thing to a brother. Lily however smiled though a look of concern was evident on her face.

"Go James. He needs you a lot more than me right now. Besides Moria would kill us both if he was injured or endangered and you had been called to help. I'll be fine. I promise." She stated. He hesitated and then kissed her deeply before they both got out of bed and began to get dressed. She decided that she would begin to work on some of the files that she had brought home until he got back. He watched as she settled at her desk before coming over and kissing her one last time. Then he apparated away.

* * *

James landed right at Sirius's doorstep and his senses went on high-alert. It was quiet and he could see the door was slightly ajar. He pulled out his wand and advanced slowly to the door entering quietly. As he exited the foyer he was surprised to see not only Sirius, but several other Aurors as well as Remus and Moria were there. Sirius looked to be talking to one of the Aurors, not a scratch on him and a look of utter confusion on his face. Moria looked equally confused and didn't look as though she had been injured as well.

"Sirius?" James called out and everyone turned. The other Aurors seeing it was James went back to business and began discussing to each other. However Remus, Moria, and Sirius looked at him, growing pale the moment they saw him.

"I…I thought…I got a message that said you were under attack." James stammered out as the other three walked up to him.

"Prongs…its Wilkins." Remus said and James looked at him in confusion.

"Elphinstone's male secretary? What about him?" he asked.

"He's the one that threatened Lily, James." Sirius said and James felt his blood freeze. Grogan was a 20 year old wizard that Elphinstone had hired shortly before James, Sirius, and Lily had joined the ranks of Auror. He was a nice person that had been eager to help the other Aurors, especially the younger ones who were still learning how to file paperwork…especially Lily who had some difficulty starting out. James had never thought much about it. But maybe he had been too eager.

"That's ridiculous. He couldn't hurt Lily." James retorted hopefully. Sirius and Remus however looked grim.

"James, think about it…She of all people would be able to get these Aurors…and you…anywhere." Moria reasoned.

"And he would have been able to deliver the package to her without so much as a glance as that's part of his job." Remus added and saw James's eyes widening.

"Prongs…where's Lily?" Sirius asked slowly, his voice slowly growing in panic.

"At home…I left her at home…" James said and panic consumed him.

Alone. He left her home alone.

* * *

Lily sighed as she shook her leg. Worry was making working increasingly difficult to do and actually concentrate in doing. It felt like an eternity since James had left but in actuality (unless her clock was wrong) it had only been ten minutes. She looked up when she heard a crash. Automatically she reached for her wand but realized to her horror that her wand was in the bedroom. Seconds later a form filled the doorway and Lily automatically recognized him as Grogan Wilkins. The man came into her home office slowly, his face somber; his clothes were dark.

"What is it? Did something happen to James and Sirius?" Lily asked panic consuming her. Grogan shook his head as he stepped right next to Lily.

"We should go." He stated. "He may need you."

Lily blinked in confusion. Why would anyone have sent the secretary to pick her up? Still…if it was urgent. What if Moria had been injured? She nodded and turned to go to the bedroom.

"Stupefy!" She heard and barely managed to turn before she felt a stinging sensation in her back. Her body felt numb, and she fell forward. He smirked and walked over to her. Her vision began to grow dark.

"James…."she murmured out weakly, before all grew still.


	6. MERELY A PUPPET PART 2

She was gone.

It didn't seem to process in James's mind as he stared at the empty house. Moria was pacing, deep in thought. Sirius and Remus were trying to snap him out of it. Moria then paused in her pacing.

"Do you happen to know where he lives?" She asked suddenly.

"With his parents." James answered dully. "There isn't enough room there to hold someone.

"Yeah, but where exactly?" Moria asked.

"In the country. Why?"

"Look. Even if there isn't enough room in the actual building, he's got country. He's got land. He's got room to build. Do you REALLY think that he just planned this in a day?" Moria snapped. "We know it's him, and right now that's the best lead we have."

"Right." James finally answered, snapping out of his stupor. "Let's go."

* * *

It was quiet, Lily realized. Slowly she awoke and blinked, realizing that she had been bound to the arms of the chair she was seated in, and were most likely magically charmed, cursed slightly. She wiggled her wrists, but the ropes didn't give. So to try and get the raging headache out of her head she began to look around. She was in a room of dolls, literally. Surrounded was a council of dolls rivaling the Ministry of Magic courts. Each doll was elegantly dressed, and had been taken in the upmost care. Nearly every beaded eye was staring at her, which made her inwardly shudder. When she and James had a child, if it turned out to be a girl, there would be no way in _hell_ that she was buying her a doll. At least one that was as creepy as these. She observed them more carefully, and realized that they had each been dressed in a certain job. A gardener, a maid, a fisherman…

She then looked down and her heartbeat resumed its quickening beat. She wasn't in the sweatshirt and trousers that she had been in before she was stunned. She was now in a Victorian styled dress. The outer dress was a dark gray and it ruffled near her upper left thigh. The sleeves were long and at the end had black intricate lace stitched in, matching the lace that was across the top of the bodice. Around her neck was an intricate chocker with a bright red gem in the center and a lace covered corset was fitted around her waist, silk red ribbon on the edges of her waist. Under her dress was a black chemise that flowed down to just above her ankles, and she was wearing boots.

If it had been any other occasion, she would have been in awe at the detail in the dress and how it fit her. But now she felt vulnerable. He. Had. Dressed. HER. Oh, when she got her hands on Grogan Wilkins-

"Ah you're awake."

She looked up, her green eyes narrowing. She went to lunge, but only managed to rock a bit in the chair as Wilkins walked out of the shadows.

"I do hope you're enjoying the accommodations."

"I'd like it better if I could stick my foot up your arse." She growled out. He tutted her, continuing to walk around, seeming to ignore her.

"Do you like my collection?"

Lily bit her lip angrily, forcing herself to be quiet. He wasn't going to listen to her anyways.

"I always loved dolls…puppets…you know why?" He asked, shifting one dolls face to where it was looking at him. He smirked and gave her a look, and she felt a stab of cold. He was _completely_ insane. "Because here, time has stopped forever. Here it is ageless, always beautiful. No betrayals, no lies, they can never shut me out or leave me behind. Together forever and ever." He turned to look at her.

"Right, Lily? You think the same too, don't you?"

She was silent staring at him.

"Such a beautiful face and hair. It should stay like that forever, right Lily? Don't you want to be a doll?" He asked coming closer to her.

"I'm not a doll!" She finally snarled. "You can't make people into dolls, you psycho!" She screamed.

"I am not." He stated coolly. "Did you know that in books, they state that a person's soul stays around where the body is? That dolls were originally made to house the dead?" He asked. "So that's why I make the person into a well preserved doll, containing the person's own hair, teeth, bones, and such. The person's soul will linger around the doll, like a human shaped coffin." He explained. "That's why I kept my parents, my sister, the gardener, a wanderer… Every last one of them became a doll." He stated. She felt sickened. "Piece by piece, their bones, their hair, their teeth. I buried them in coffins of their own flesh. I burned the rest of their bodies."

"...all these dolls?" Lily whispered out, not even bothering to hide the shock in her voice. "…Why?"

"Because they will never leave me." He stated easily, as though he had just explained what groceries he had bought. "I've been kindly preserving them. They're things that can never leave me." He added, before walking over to her. "How about you too, Lily?" He asked. She balked but glanced to where he was motioning. Her heart skipped a beat as she finally noticed another doll. A doll with red hair and green eyes. Wearing the exact same dress as she was wearing now.

"Look. That one is your doll." He revealed. "Isn't she lovely?"

"You're…you're insane." She whispered out, slamming her head to the back of the chair when he thrust a vial into her face.

"Drink it."

"There is no way I'm drinking anything you're going to give me!" Lily retorted trying to figure a way out.

"That wasn't a suggestion." He replied. Before she could respond, he jammed his fingers into her mouth, prying and keeping her mouth open with one hand, unscrewing the vial with the other. As he brought it closer she sniffed it and scrunched up her nose at the aroma.

Wormwood. Straight up wormwood.

He forced her head back, ignoring her gagging sounds, or that she was now kicking desperately, trying to ward him off, her nails digging into the arms of the chair, before pouring the contents of the vial down her throat, covering her mouth and forcing her to swallow. As she struggled, images of James and her flew through her mind, before slowly her vision began to grow hazy and her struggles slowly began to cease, and her head grew heavier and flopped forward.

"_J…James…"_ She thought dimly, the last image she saw before succumbing to the darkness was him releasing the vial to the ground, and the doll with red hair.

* * *

"Nothing's here, Moria." James stated sullenly. They were in the library. The house-elf had let them in, apparently under the belief that her master had asked for them. It hadn't been a _complete_ lie, as they did need to ask of his whereabouts of a few hours ago. "Just like we told you." He spat out. "We need to look somewhere else. He's obviously not here, and we're wasting our time here!"

"Mate, you don't have to yell at her." Sirius grumbled.

"Prongs, calm down." Remus stated softly. "It was a good idea…"

The trio of men started arguing as Moria observed the surroundings, her eyes zeroing on a book that was sticking out of a bookshelf. Call it an OCD, but to Moria it seemed out of place for there to be only _one_ book sticking out. With a frown she reached for it, and pushed it in. Nearly a second later the sounds of clinking, clunking, and turning of gears sounded in the study area, halting the argument between the three men.

"What was th-" Remus began to ask. He no sooner began to voice his confusion when the floor suddenly opened up below Moria's feet. She let out a yell, and plummeted down into the bleak darkness. The floor closed back up, almost as though it had never opened.

"MORIA!?" Sirius yelled out, rushing to where his girlfriend had once been standing, pounding on the floor as though that would open it. "MORIA!

* * *

Moria continued yelling as she plunged, the wind rushing past her in alarming speed until she landed into a bunch of boxes with a muffled crash. It was silent before she cursed and kicked the one box that was pinning her leg.

"My fucking luck that I manage to find the trapdoor." Moria grumbled. She then became aware of yelling, and before she could move, three new figures fell on top of her, all grunting loudly.

"Merlin's pants, whose bright idea was it to push that damn book in again?"

"That would be yours, Prongs." Remus grumbled as he rolled onto his back, crushing another box.

"Where's Moria?" Sirius asked roughly, right before hearing a very loud, muffled groan, and someone shoving him from underneath.

"Ge' offa me." A muffled voice cried. The three men scrambled away and allowed Moria to sit up, rubbing her head.

"You okay?" Sirius asked, before yelping as something slammed in his head, bouncing from the impact.

"Oh sure, I'm fine." Moria grumbled sarcastically. "I always enjoy being crushed by three grown men with a dolls arm stabbing in me in my back." She growled out. "Idiot."

"Well _excuse_ me." Sirius growled out, rubbing the sore spot on his forehead. "What the hell did you throw at me?"

"A baby doll head." She commented dryly, pulling the doll arm that had been pressed into her back and tossing it. "Well we found Mr. Dollmaker." She stated standing and cracking her back. "Let's go."

* * *

He heard a loud curse and a bang that echoed down the hall. He turned in confusion, pulling out his wand. No. No one should have found this place. This was _his_ sanctuary. His-

The door burst open and he froze, staring as four figures rushed in, their wands at the ready. He stared at them and then felt anger surge as he spotted Moria. The scarred one. The imperfect one. She had no right to be in this sanctuary.

"Bombarda!" He yelled out, sending the spell directly at Moria. Sirius jumped in, barely casting Protego before the spell hit. He cursed.

"You son of a bitch!" He snarled, swinging a stinging hex at the deranged man, James following suit. Remus made a move to go help them.

"Remus!"

He turned at Moria's cry and felt his heart give out. There was Lily, slumped in a chair. Moria had forgone the safety of being behind Sirius and had rushed over to her friend, trying now to get her out of the bonds. It seemed that neither James nor Sirius had noticed this, too busy dueling the other man. He pocketed his wand and rushed to where Moria and Lily were.

"Expelliarmus!"Sirius and Remus both cried out. Their aim was true. Grogan felt his wand fly out of his hands and across the room, straight into Sirius' hands. He looked at them. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to get away with it and the case was supposed to go unsolved.

Then he would get Lily.

"It's too late." He said simply as James stared at his as though he was a stranger. His eyes glanced over to the corner, merely glancing with a stony look as Moria and Remus finally managed to pry Lily out of the chair, her completely limp. James' head snapped in that direction, finally noticing his wife. Red filled James' vision.

"Stupefy!"he cried out, his wand aimed at Grogan. It shouldn't have surprised him that Sirius' voice blended with his. Of course Sirius would know his thoughts. They were like brothers. He dropped with a thud to the floor.

James dropped his aim and immediately jumped over the rubble of the broken doorway and ran towards the other two.

"Lily!" he called out and slid to a halt in front of the two. Remus was holding Lily, searching her face for anything. Moria was currently trying to get Lily's vitals. He could swear he felt his heart stop as he saw her pale face, no hint of life in it. _"Oh Merlin, sweet Merlin, no!"_ he thought, praying for everything to be okay as he finally reached the love of his life.

"Lily, baby!" he begged, praying she would open her eyes to his cries, but she made barely any movement. As James tried to wake her, Moria continued to check vitals—checking off the list that she had been forced to memorize in training—and she frowned. Though she had found her pulse, it was thready and slow; slowing further even as he checked her over.

"We need to get to Mungo's. NOW!" Moria declared. Sirius snapped out of his shocked state and nodded, looking around and spotting a fireplace.

James pulled Lily into his arms, following Sirius. Moria noted the vial that lay discarded on the ground and with a quick thought grabbed the vial, pocketing it. Her head lolled on his shoulder and her eyes remained partially open, her lovely green eyes glazed over. A knot stuck in James' throat.

"_Please. Please no." _He thought.

"I'll go first. Make sure they know we're coming." Moria stated. Sirius nodded and watched as Moria vanished into green flames.

Sirius threw floo powder in the fireplace for James and allowed the man in question to step in.

"Keep her with us, Prongs." Sirius said gruffly. James nodded and tightened his grip on Lily.

"MUNGOS!" he bellowed out clearly. While they spun away, James kept Lily close, praying that he wasn't going to lose her for good.

* * *

Three hours later, James was sitting in the waiting room with Sirius and Remus flanking him on either side. With his knees spread, elbows on his knees, hands clasped loosely and his head bent, James was the epitome of desperation. He was dying inside at the thought of losing Lily forever, the words repeating what one Healer had told him an hour or so ago.

"_Wormwood…Merlin…She drank straight up wormwood."_ He thought.

"She'll be alright, Prongs. She's a fighter. You know it." Sirius said, trying to keep James from losing it completely.

"I imagine she would probably berate us all for worrying about her." Remus added, wistfully, working hard to hide the worry he had for Lily from James. He couldn't add to it.

"I can't lose her." James spoke in a hoarse voice. He lifted his head to look straight at the doors behind which Lily was. His wife. His everything. "I can't live without her. I love her…" He managed to get out before he broke down into tears. He squeezed his eyes shut as silent sobs wracked his body.

James felt his friends' hands come up to latch onto his shoulders. Remus and Sirius both sat silently, supporting James through this ordeal without a word to be said. The three grown wizards were found like that when Chelsea emerged. The picture of a grieving man flanked by his friends, each with one arm around his shoulders, purposefully gripping his shoulder in silent comfort was rather poetic to her. She coughed gaining their attention. James shot up, flanked by the other two.

"How is she?! Is she alright?! Is she-" he tried to ask, but couldn't finish the last statement. Chelsea was silent and then smiled.

"She's going to be fine. We managed to get the antidote into her system. She's resting right now." Chelsea said and blinked when James let out a grunt of relief and pulled her to him, hugging her.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." He said and she grinned.

"You actually have Moria to thank. She's the one that figured out it was wormwood. And she's also the one that kept blood flowing in Lily's system while we made the bloody antidote. Some muggle thing called CPR." She said and Sirius grinned, obviously proud of his girlfriend, as Chelsea motioned behind her. "We'll let it slide this once. Obviously they can't fire us because if they did they would have to fire the other healers that left early without waiting for shift changes." She said and grinned as the three men moved around her. Now for some more tea.

Moria sighed as she exited Lily's room in the intensive unit, stretching her legs. It wasn't really fun when you had to straddle your best friend to do compressions on her chest for a good hour while the others worked on the antidote, but she would do it again in a heartbeat. She looked up when she heard running footsteps and saw the others. She smiled and waved.

"Hi." She said before being nearly tackled by James who swung her around, holding her tightly.

"Thank you. I owe you so much." He whispered out and she smiled, before patting him on his back.

"She's my best friend James, and you are one of my closest friends. I wasn't about to let either of you down." She said and he grinned, his eyes moist. "Go in and sit next to your wife, lover boy. Just be quiet. She's sleeping." She said and with that James went around her and into the room. She then was wrapped into Sirius's arms who gave her a searing kiss. She gripped his jacket tightly, going on tiptoes.

"You woman, are bloody fantastic." He murmured after they parted and she laughed, blushing slightly.

"Why thank you Mr. Black."

"I hope you aren't planning anything tomorrow." He said a teasing grin on his face as he nuzzled the crook of her neck. "Because I have to show my appreciation for what you did tonight in our own special way." He added, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, and she grinned.

"Looking forward to it. By the way…you boys owe me four galleons." She teased and they blanched.

"Little minx."

"Please, I wouldn't be your girl if I wasn't at little bit tricky." She murmured as Sirius kissed her again hearing Remus chuckle but not really caring.

* * *

Hours later, Lily shifted in her sleep, wincing slightly before waking up. She automatically connected her gaze with a pair of hazel brown eyes that were shining with relief.

"James…."

"Oh thank Merlin." He breathed kissing her forehead as she closed her eyes and smiled. "I thought I had lost you. Again." He murmured.

"Sorry…" she whispered out before he kissed her gently. They parted. She inhaled sharply.

"Where is he…what happened?"

"He-" James began, unable to stop the angered growl from crawling up his throat. "Is on his way to Azkaban. What happened was that I was stupid and believed a false lead. You were taken. You almost died. BECAUSE of me." He whispered. She shook her head, cupping his face weakly with her hands.

"It's not your fault." She whispered. "You were protecting your friend." She murmured. He sighed and he glanced at the door. "Don't…leave. Stay." She pleaded, gripping his face and he smiled lovingly.

"Wasn't planning on leaving, love. Scoot a bit." He ordered and she did as she was told and he moved before lying down next to her. She murmured softly before nuzzling his chest. He smiled.

"I swear Lily…you're going to give me gray hair before I even reach middle age." He said and she laughed softly.

"Love you."

"Love you too."

**SOME LILY AND JAMES LOVE!**


	7. BLOOD ON OUR HANDS

"Oh stop complaining Lily and just take the bloody healing potion." Moria ordered, handing the red head a vial as they sat in Lily and James's living room. Lily scowled before taking it, grumbling under her breath.

"Hey you're the one that got poisoned and nearly DIED Lily. You should have been expecting healing potions being forced down your throat." Moria said crossing her arms with a triumphant look on her face. "Besides, bed rest can't be that bad or boring for you. I'm pretty sure James is shagging you." She said nonchalantly and Lily nearly spit up the vial.

"MORIA!"

"What? It's not like Sirius and I-!"

"Don't. I don't want to know." Lily groaned out, her face a deep red. Moria laughed.

"You're so shy."

"And you so aren't." Lily grumbled and Moria grinned.

"Look if you relax and take your potions like you're supposed to, you'll be back in the fighting roster within the second or third week of November." Moria said looking at her watch. "And I should probably head out…Sirius should be getting back anytime." She said and stood up stretching. Lily smiled and then waved her off.

"Say hi to him for me okay?" She asked as Moria walked to the door.

"Yes Ma'am. Bye!" she called out and then closed the door. She glanced up in confusion when she saw James and Dumbledore walking towards the house, noting how pale James looked. Dumbledore nodded to her, but other than that ignored her and the pair continued into the house. Moria glanced at them in confusion and stared at the door, contemplating on whether or not she should go back in. She decided against it and apparated away. A few seconds later she was in front of her apartment door and was surprised to see it unlocked. Sirius shouldn't have been home for at least a few more hours.

"Sirius?" She called out opening the door cautiously peering in. She then saw the familiar head of black hair and calmed slightly, before entering. "Sirius, I didn't know you were getting off early." She stated placing her bag on the kitchen counter. That earned no reply, no comedic retort and she turned in confusion. Her heart then sped back up. Sirius looked like a living wreck, his eyes were red and he looked that he had been crying for hours.

"Sirius? Sirius, what's wrong?! What happened?!" she whispered, hurrying over to him. He murmured something but it was incomprehensible. "Come again?" she asked.

"They're gone." He whispered out and Moria looked at him confusion.

"Who is?" She asked and watched as he numbly shook his head as though to try and think of it as not being true. "Sirius, who is gone?" She whispered out. It couldn't have been Lily or James as she had just seen them. Her next thought that it was Alice and Frank, but that wouldn't account for Sirius being so distraught.

"James and Lily's parents…they're gone." He finally whispered out and Moria stood there looking at him in shock.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since the reported deaths of Dorea and Charlus Potter, as well as the deaths of Christine and Jason Evans. It had been a shock to the muggle world as they had died with no rhyme or reason, four perfectly healthy adults had been found dead. For the wizarding world, it only served to add fear and anxiety that Voldemort would kill anyone that stood in his way. The two couples funeral had been small affairs only their children, their own spouses and several friends of both couples and one or two of the friends of their offspring. Petunia didn't even bother to talk to Lily, but made no argument when Moria and Sirius arrived. She was too much in grief to argue about who was normal and who wasn't this time.

Moria sighed running her fingers through her hair as she began to make breakfast. She could still remember how tightly Sirius had gripped her hand when the Potters were being lowered into the ground. But after the funeral it had been like a switch had been flipped. Now Sirius barely talked to her, much less held her or touched her. He acted like he was fine…or relatively fine when they were around friends but she could see he was making a conscious effort to not hold her hand. She had tried talking to him about it, but he had brushed off her concerns.

"_Everyone grieves differently Moria. You of all people know that."_ A voice of reason said in her mind and she closed her eyes. She knew that. But it still hurt that Sirius didn't want her to try and help him get through such a difficult time. She glanced up when she heard movement and saw Sirius standing there, reading the Daily Prophet.

"Morning." She called out and he glanced up.

"Morning." He said simply and returned to reading the newspaper, not seeing her flinch. She gave him a plate.

"I'm going now…Alice and I are going to visit Lily." She said hoping to strike up a conversation. It had no effect.

"Have fun." He said shortly. She swallowed pushing back the tears.

"Okay. Love you." She said and then quickly left, not turning back to see Sirius glance up at her and stare as she left, closing the door with a soft click.

* * *

Lily, Moria, and Alice sat a café, drinking some tea and having some small snacks. They were chatting and laughing about some of their old adventures back in Hogwarts. Lily was laughing so hard that she nearly started crying. Alice and Moria glanced at each other happy that their friend was now at least laughing.

"So…how's Sirius?" Lily asked suddenly glancing at Moria. Moria was silent and then shrugged.

"He's getting there." She finally replied and both Alice and Lily looked at her in confusion.

"Moria, we've seen how you two have been acting whenever you two go out. It's like there's this rift between you." Alice stated and Moria flinched. So she hadn't been the only one.

"I know."

"You should talk to him about that, you of all people could understand what James, Sirius, and I are going through right now."

"I _**know**_ Lily. But the thing is he doesn't even talk to me in long sentences. I can't be the one to say that you need to get your head out of your arse if this is how he copes with grief." Moria said looking at her cup. Lily sighed. Moria decided to change the subject.

"Alice how have you been feeling lately?"

"Better. I still puke every now and then when I wake up." Alice commented and Lily looked at her stunned.

"Really? That's been happening this past week with me. I just thought it was the stress of…well you know." Lily commented. Moria looked at both of them as they began to list similarities in how they had been feeling; slight bleeding even though it wasn't their period, always tired, morning sickness, backaches and headaches, going to the bathroom nearly every other minute. Moria then shushed them

"I need you two to come with me." She said quickly and the two girls looked at her.

"What? Why?" Alice asked, panic now noticeable in her voice.

"Because I think I know what's happening to both of you." She simply said and after they had paid for their drinks and snacks quickly followed Moria to her flat, and for the first time noticed that Sirius wasn't there. She spotted a note and read it. He would be back in a little bit. But at that moment she put the worry aside and went to a cabinet that she had made sure Sirius stayed away from. She then pulled out two vials and placed one each in front of Lily and Alice.

"What are those?" Lily asked, hesitant.

"Just drink it." Moria replied. "It's not poison. Do you really think I would poison you? Either of you?" she asked and Lily frowned before glancing at Alice who shrugged before uncorking it. Lily followed suit and they both drank the vial, gagging at how sweet it was.

"What the bloody hell?!" Alice gagged coughing and trying to keep her stomach from heaving, Lily trying to do the same.

"Bitter or sweet?" Moria simply asked and the two girls looked at their friend in disbelief.

"Sweet! Now what the hell did you make us drink?!" They both exclaimed and Moria stared at them then sighed.

"Well that explains a lot." She commented.

"Explains what?! Our symptoms? What the hell are you trying to prove?" Lily angrily asked and Moria glared at her.

"I'm proving that your symptoms mean something." She retorted.

"And that would be?" Alice asked, becoming more annoyed with Moria beating around the bush.

"That you two are pregnant." She replied, standing up and going to the kitchen, to make some tea, as that declaration likely would have startled them, and they needed something to calm their nerves. A few minutes later, Moria was stirring some tea for Lily and Alice and mixed in the milk and then handed each a cup as they now sat at the table. They looked stunned.

"Pregnant? Both of us?" Alice finally managed to say. "But I've been on protection…so has Lily." She reprimanded.

"They can fail, or you forget to take any. I know for a fact you and Frank were gone on a longer mission then expected Alice and I know life has been…stressful for Lily. It would make sense that you didn't manage to bring the right amount, and Lily just…forgot." Moria said with a shrug.

"Well that would make sense. But then what about you?" Lily asked and Moria chuckled bitterly.

"Sirius and I are barely talking. You really think we had sex recently?" She asked and Lily sighed before shaking her head.

"Sorry. Stupid question."

"No it's not." Moria said with a soft smile. "But I do know one thing…James and Frank are going to be bloody excited when they find out their going to be dads." Moria said with a grin and the two women smiled brightly. Suddenly a stag patronus walked in.

"_Hey Moria, can you come to the Headquarters? Dumbledore wants to talk to you, Sirius, and me."_

Moria frowned and then stood. "Well I better be off. I'll see you two later."

"Okay. Don't tell James, okay?" Lily asked. Moria looked back at her and offered a soft smile.

"I won't." She turned and disappeared, apparating away.

* * *

Apparently it had been for a mission. She was a healer and since it was a rescue mission, her abilities were probably required. She was currently several feet in front of them. "Sirius, we need to talk." James murmured as they continued looking around for the Prewett twins. Sirius glanced up at him.

"About?"

"Moria." He replied and Sirius visibly stiffened before looking back in front of him. "Sirius, come on. Out of all of us, Moria understands what it's like to lose her parents. Lily and I have each other for support. You have Moria."

"It's none of your business, James."

"Do you realize how much you're hurting Moria?" James asked and Sirius grew still. "Padfoot, you got to open up to her. I know my parents meant a lot to you, they were the closest thing to real parents that cared about you. I of all people understand that." James said, but Sirius remained silent. James was about to hit Sirius upside the head when they heard a loud explosion. They all raced towards the sound and heard a loud yell of pain followed by a scream of panic.

"Gideon?! Fabian!?" Moria called out racing towards the area but silence only ensued.

"Gideon?! Fa-!" James began to call out when he was suddenly cut off. Sirius whirled around whipping out his wand and saw to his horror that James had fallen to the ground. For a split second Sirius feared that James had been killed but saw to some relief that James shifted and let out a groan. However he barely had time be relieved before he felt a sting in his back and then suddenly felt numb. He slowly fell to the ground. Before darkness swallowed him up, the last thought on his mind being Moria.

Moria turned back to where the other two had been. They didn't turn around the corner and she raced back, skidding around the corner. Her eyes widened as she spotted several Deatheaters picking up the limp forms of Sirius and James.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" She cried out, gaining their attention. They apparently were amused with her. Her eyes narrowed and she took a step forward, but gasped as an explosion hex slammed into the box next to her, throwing shrapnel into the air. She stumbled when felt as though her thigh had hit something. When she went to move towards them again she felt pain spasm into her leg, and looked down to see a large piece of wood protruding from it, blood beginning to seep around the edges of the wound. She stumbled and leaned against a nearby box as pain took over, leaving her dizzy. She heard a chuckle and looked up to see the five Deatheaters walking towards her, apparently thinking they had won this fight.

"Look what we have here…Potter, Black, and Black's little _girlfriend_. Come to pick up your little toy?" One said and she had to try and hold back her anger, but was failing.

"Why don't we drag her back with us and let her see him? Wonder if he'll go mad in rage if we we hurt his precious slag." One said and the others chuckled.

"Please. After we're done with him, he'll be half dead anyways. He probably won't even-" Another began to say and Moria snapped. Whether it was because they had threatened to use her as a torture tactic against him, or the fact that they had just threatened him, she didn't know. All she did know was that the barely held back fury, the stress of the past few weeks, everything sprung up and snapped her hold on her rage and the man who had said that Sirius was going to be half dead was suddenly in front of her as she slammed her fist into his face hearing the satisfying crunch of his nose breaking beyond his mask. He shrieked in pain but barely could comprehend what had just happened she slammed her foot into his chin. He recoiled slightly but she didn't let up. She slammed her fist into his jaw then slammed it again from the other side. Elbow to the side of his face. Grabbing his face she then slammed it twice into her knee before slamming her foot into his jaw. He fell like a rock and she turned her gaze to the other four her eyes cold.

She then pulled out the piece of wood from her leg, her face still emotionless. She saw them stare at her in shock. They needed to leave or they would face what their friend had just gone through.

"Leave. Now." She ordered but as she suspected and had hoped that they wouldn't do, they instead ran towards her angrily.

"You stupid bitch! How dare you!" one of them roared and swung out his wand aimed at her. By then however Moria had bolted towards him, her eyes growing pained, masked with coldness.

She did not want to fight. But now she had no choice.

Screams of pain and fear echoed throughout the small loading dock.

It seemed like an hour, but she knew it had only been a minute or so. Groaning shapes were on the ground, barely moving and barely breathing. Moria stumbled, panting hard, her wand stuffed in her back pocket. Blood covered her fists and splattered on her clothes and her face, clumping in her hair and flowed down her leg. She was breathing hard leaning on nearby boxes as she continued to walk, trying to get to Sirius and James. Her vision was darkening around the outer edges but she kept trying to fight blacking out. She couldn't.

"_I have…have…"_ her mind ordered weakly before she heard movement behind her. She turned, but she had slowed considerably and barely turned halfway before her body was hit by a stunner. At that moment, her body gave up. She vision faded and the darkening edges grew swallowing up the entire field. She felt herself falling into the darkness, her body feeling just like another mass as her legs gave out.

"_I have to keep fighting…"_ Her mind thought out weakly but that too was drowned out by the silence of the darkness that now entombed her. She did not know how long she had been out before her mind began to be pulled out of the darkness. She could see shapes around Sirius and James, picking them up.

Moria weakly raised her hand towards them, her fear growing, not really caring that she felt tears growing.

"Sirius…Don't go…"

Her vision was growing black but she saw the whoever was holding Sirius and James disparate away, and her vision began to swim, the burning in her eyes finally growing too much and a tear sliding down her face.

"Don't…Don't give…up…" Her vision began to dim as she felt someone roughly pick her up.

"_Please…I can't lose you too…Sirius…."_

Her hand swung limply and desperately where Sirius had been, stretching slightly as though to try to reach what was no longer there before her consciousness drifted back into darkness and her hand grew limp.

_**Don't leave me too.**_

* * *

Sirius groaned softly as he shook his head, blinking. He looked around and saw he was in a tiny cell, James was leaning against the opposite wall.

"Prongs…? You alive?" he groaned out and to his relief James moved a bit before regaining consciousness.

"Where are we?" James said looking around for his wand but as they all probably figured they weren't there.

"Like I know." Sirius retorted.

"You two are alright…thank goodness." A voice said, rough almost as though it was strained. Sirius and James looked up, and noticed Moria on the wall farthest from them. Sirius felt rage the moment he spotted her face, how much blood was speckled on it. She apparently noticed his look.

"It's not mine. At least not all of it." She retorted calmly.

"Then whose is it?"

"Several of my allies. Though we had to teach her a lesson on keeping her hands to herself." A voice replied. "And you're here because you three are going to answer some questions for us." He continued and they all turned to see a figure standing in the doorway. The three instantly stilled and went silent.

"Now then." The man said going straight to business. "You three are going to inform us of what the Order is planning."

"Go rot in hell." Sirius growled out and the man glared at him—or at least he figured as there was a mask covering his face. "We're not giving you anything."

"Silence blood traitor."

"NONE of us are telling you pricks anything." James retorted just as defiantly.

"Then you'll be forced to tell us." The Deatheater snarled and Sirius chuckled keeping the Deatheaters attention on him.

"What could you do to us, you stupid little-"Sirius began to say but was abruptly shut off. He hadn't heard the Cruciatus curse, didn't even see it, before he felt excruciating pain course through his body—as though every muscle in his body was being torn apart and acid was flowing through his veins. His vision swam and it felt like his head had been hit against a wall. He vaguely heard James and Moria yelling, but heard the Deatheater loud and clear.

"Now then blood traitor. Tell us what you know."

* * *

"What do you _**mean**_ they were taken?!" Lily spat out angrily. Wulfric was silent before he turned and addressed the crowd.

"Late last night several aurors discovered the bodies of Gideon and Fabian Prewett. They've been dead for several days. Several other Order members are informing Gideon and Fabian's sister Molly as we speak." He repeated. "There were no signs that any three of them were killed though it did seem to be that they were ambushed and taken." Wulfric said and Moria swallowed that feeling that she had felt earlier finally showing its meaning.

"Do you know to where?!" Lily asked her hand unconsciously folding around her stomach. James didn't even know about the baby yet. She swallowed when Wulfric shook his head. Bryn glanced at Wulfric, glancing down as she patted Geoffrey's back, the little boy cooing, before she looked at Wulfric.

"Do you know where they were taken from?" She asked softly and Wulfric looked at her in surprise. He hadn't expected that question—only where they were. He then conjured up a map and pointed to the abandoned loading dock.

"This is where they were last sensed and seen and where we found the brothers bodies. Why?" He asked looking at the blonde. She was silent and Remus noted that her eyes grew cold and hard, her grip tightening on Geoffrey, almost in an attempt to save him from her memories.

"I think I know where they are." She finally said pointing at a secluded area that on the map was covered with a forest. The room grew lively.

"You do?!"

"It's where I was held for two years. It's the closest place that I can think of." She said softly and Remus flinched. It was a topic that he always avoided with her. He couldn't blame her for having horrible memories of that place. Where her innocence had been taken, where she had been forced to have a child and deliver him herself. He couldn't even begin to imagine the horror.

"Are you sure there aren't any other places in-between?" Cepheus asked glancing at the area that Bryn was pointing at. Bryn shook her head.

"I heard them talking about it and one suggested it…but they said that if they had built one around the other than there would be a higher chance that both would be found." She said, staring at the map. Wulfric looked at her.

"Bryn. Do you know where any entry points are? Or how many?" He asked. She nodded.

"Two. There's an old abandoned shack that has a secret panel on the bottom. But that's the main one. So there will be a lot surveillance I would think on that one. The other…" she paused swallowing before pointing at a lake. "The other is less traveled. They normally only use that one if they're burying a body." She finally said and Remus looked at her in pain. It was not a trip down memory lane that he wanted her to ever think about, but two of his best mates, as well as a girl he had grown to see as a sort of sister figure were now possibly in the hell hole she had been in.

"Well that settles it. We're going now." Lily said, turning around. "Let's go."

"Lily, we have to tell-"

"Remus, they may not last long enough for us to get the Order." Lily spat out. "I'll go by myself if need be." She hissed out but Cepheus, Wulfric, Alice, and Chelsea shook their heads.

"We're coming with you. Remus are you coming or not?"

He hesitated a second before nodding. "I'll come." He finally answered, before looking at his girlfriend. "Bryn. You contact the order for us okay?" he asked and Bryn nodded.

"Be safe…all of you." Bryn said and Lily smiled softly.

"We'll bring your boyfriend back safe and sound." She joked before the six rushed out and apparated away.

* * *

Sirius shifted slightly trying to ignore the pounding of his head. They had been there for approximately three days and every inch of his body burned in agony. The Deatheaters had used the Cruciatus curse and some had used the muggle methods. Now every part of him ached and he didn't want to look and see how much dried blood was on him. James was fairing slightly worse fading in and out of consciousness and like him was covered in bruises and blood, his glasses cracked.

Moria was the worst out of the three.

For whatever reason their tormentors had taken particular interest in using Moria as their punching bag and made sure to at least kick, punch, hex, or curse Moria whenever they came in, saying it was retribution for what she had done. She had soothed the pair that grew angry every single time it had happened, telling them she could take it, but it was becoming obvious it was starting to wear her down. She barely talked to either of them, resting as though to conserve her strength. He didn't know how much time she had left. How much longer any of them had. He swallowed.

When was the last time he had told her he loved her? Held her?

Kissed her?

Too long, he realized dimly. He swallowed, looking at Moria. Her eyes were closed and she was so…so pale, her chest movement the only proof she was still alive. He shifted. "Moria?" He called out, his voice hoarse. She moved a fraction and opened her eyes blearily.

"Hm?" She murmured. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the door swinging open with a jarring squeak. Sirius stiffened as several figures walked in; grunting when two hoisted him up. The other four did the same with Moria and James, and proceeded to drag the trio out. Once in the dim lighting of the hall, they were forced to walk, though they struggled slightly. It did little good. Sirius glanced behind his shoulder and saw—to his horror—Moria struggling to walk. He then noticed the large stain on her trouser leg. Dried blood. He didn't have much time to wonder what the hell had happened to her, before he was forced to his knees in a different room, James forced next to him. Moria was placed in front of him, one Deatheater gripping her hair tightly to force her to look at them. She offered a weary smile, before wiping it off completely as another Deatheater walked in.

"My greetings. I hope the accommodations were…comforting." He spoke, earning some chuckles from the others. The trio glared angrily at him.

"Comforting right. Gentlemen who beat up women for perks." Sirius growled out. "So comforting."

"I don't consider this lovely person a lady." The man replied, glancing at Moria.

"Watch your mouth." Sirius warned, shifting slightly, but the man seemed to ignore him, and clapped his hands together.

"I am rather impressed though. I never expected that such fighters against our cause I would actually get to meet." He stated, looking at James and Sirius, seeming to disregard Moria. "You saved us a lot of time." The man continued and then chuckled.

"Now…if you would ever be so kind, and to tell us what you are all planning." He finally stated. Sirius snorted dryly. Like they hadn't figured that out.

"And you'll what? Let us go?" James asked sarcastically. "What do you take us for? Idiots?"

"Apparently Prongs." Sirius responded, almost teasing. "Then again, Deatheaters aren't really known for seeing people. You know with their big heads and everything." He joked.

Apparently the banter between the two men caused many of the Deatheaters to seethe.

"You seem to be under the belief that you have the upper hand Mr. Black." The man standing in front of them declared. "Let me assure you. You don't."

Sirius shrugged the best he can, offering a teasing smirk. "I take what I can get."

"You do realize we have other methods of getting you to talk." The interrogator said. Sirius and James chuckled.

"Such as? You've already beaten us up, and put us through the Cruciatus Curse." James informed. They both knew that this Deatheater could put any of them under the Imperius Curse…it would be so simple for them to do that, unless of course they couldn't manage it. The man in front of them chuckled, and then snapped his fingers. Sirius and James stiffened expecting to be hit by a curse.

But no one pulled out their wand and pointed it at them. Instead it was the man that was holding Moria that moved. Not to grab his wand. Instead it was to retrieve a small dagger from his pouch. With a satisfied chuckle he then yanked Moria's head back with a hard pull of her hair.

And slit her throat.


	8. DECISIONS

**SO…READ AND REVIEW? WHAT DID YOU GUYS THINK?**

It was amazing how calm Sirius was for the first seconds. His face bore an expression of shock, almost disbelieving as Moria's shirt began to stain red, the white fabric slowly changing color, the sickening color seeming to eat the pure white. She made several chocking sounds as the man holding her, released her arms. She fell forward, slamming into the ground into an undignified heap. And that seemed to snap Sirius out of his stupor.

"MORIA?! MORIA!" He yelled out, moving forward, but was stopped by the two men that was holding him back. James had done the same, with the same results, his face just as pale as Sirius's. The man standing in front of them chuckled, glancing at Moria.

"Now. Tell us what you know, Black." He said as Moria slowly brought her hand up, almost weakly, pressing it against her neck to try and halt the bleeding. Sirius didn't seem to hear the man's order, instead struggling in vain to try and free himself, calling Moria's name over and over again.

"MORIA, HANG IN THERE! ANSWER ME! DON'T YOU DARE DIE! MORIA!" Sirius yelled.

"Have you decided, Black?" The man asked again, amused. Sirius swung his gaze towards him, rage darkening his features.

"YOU BASTARD!" He yelled out, lurching forward against his captors, trying to free his arms. Pain coursed through them, but the Deatheaters didn't relinquish their hold. James was also struggling against his captors. One Deatheater gripped Moria by her jacket, pulling her to where she was directly in front of the two Marauders.

"Well…it seems the hands have changed, hasn't it?" The Deatheater in front of them asked, staring down at Moria, bending slightly to observe her. Sirius growled in warning.

"Get away from her." He snarled, tilting forward again.

"How about a compromise? You tell me what you know, and I'll heal her." The Deatheater suggested, looking up at the two men, who were both pale. "I suggest you hurry in your decision, or she won't last much longer."

"…I won't…die…" Moria managed to whisper out. "I've…been ordered…not to…die…" she continued, glaring up at the man. He seemed unamused.

"If one had such a body, then one wouldn't have to suffer like a human." He stated coolly, looking back at Sirius. "What will you do, Black? Your precious woman is dying right in front of your eyes." He stated. "If you leave her be, she'll bleed to death. But…I do know enough healing to heal that _nasty_ wound." He stated.

James and Sirius were silent, the wish to kill this man prevalent in both of their faces, the expression darker on Sirius. The man looked down at Moria's form. "Oh? She's suddenly so quiet. Did she die already?" He asked, mostly to himself, but loud enough for the two to hear. Sirius's heart dropped to his stomach as the Deatheater nudged Moria's shoulder. She shifted, looking at Sirius and James.

"You'll tell us everything, won't you? Do you want to lose another precious person?"

"…Don't…you…dare…" Moria forced out, glaring at them. "Don't…give them…a single…thing." She continued, breathing sharply. Sirius looked at her in pain, shaking as he watched the pool of blood grow larger. He offered a pained smile, almost apologizing to Moria.

"We won't…" He finally murmured. "We won't tell you anything."

* * *

"Alright so Bryn said it was below…" Wulfric said as they entered the shack. He then watched Cepheus utter a spell and he heard a mechanical sound of a lock unlocking. He looked at his brother blandly. "You are such a show-off Ceph."

"It's my job to get into tombs, Wulfric. I do know a thing or two about lock spells." Cepheus replied before a trapdoor sprung up.

"Let's go. Before someone hears us." Remus said and with that the three men, and three girls jumped into the dark abyss that the trapdoor led them through. They landed in a hall and were stunned. It looked like a medieval dungeon, lanterns and all. Remus felt sickened. He had known it was going to be bad. But he still couldn't wrap his mind around the concept of Bryn being imprisoned here…and now his friends? He forced himself to control the anger that was brewing inside of him, shaking his head.

"Let's go." Wulfric hissed out and quietly the three snuck in disturbed at how quiet it was. They continued deeper into the darkness waiting for any movement.

Any definition of life, though there seemed to be none.

"We're running out of time." Cepheus growled as they searched throughout the next hall. "They'll bound to get ti-"

"Shh! Hear that?" Wulfric shushed. They were silent.

"_MORIA?! MORIA!"_

"_MORIA, HANG IN THERE! ANSWER ME! DON'T YOU DARE DIE! MORIA!"_

They stood there frozen for a second, in shock, the words echoing down the caverns. What the hell had happened to Moria? They rushed away towards the yells.

* * *

"You won't?" The Deatheater asked, almost in surprise. He then burst out laughing. "Did you hear that, Ms. Prescott? You have such a heartless lover. He would sooner protect his cause, then protect you." He scoffed. Sirius was shaking.

"He's…a good…listener…" she murmured, her eyes seeming to slowly ebb away in life, her lips ghosting a small smile. Sirius's face contorted in pain, and James watched the pair in agony. Sirius didn't deserve this. Neither did Moria. The Deatheater sighed.

"Well then…" He pulled out his wand and pointed at Moria. "She isn't really necessary anymore is she?"

"No! Don't!" Sirius yelled out, but seemed to be little avail.

"I want you to know your lover did this to you. You have him to thank for this." The Deatheater snarled. "Avada-"

"STUPEFY!"

The Deatheater barely had time to look up, before he was lifted up and shot backwards, slamming into the wall. The other Deatheaters yelled and loosened their hold on Sirius and James, going for their wands. Sirius wrenched out of his captors grip, rushing towards Moria as all hell broke loose as spells flew and the Order members rushed in. He slid to her side, hoisting her into his arms.

"Moria!?" He called out. Her eyes were closed, unresponsive, and she was so pale. As though the life had been drained out of her. No. Please God, no, Sirius begged, as he continued calling her name. A figure rushed up to him, kneeling down. Looking up he saw it was Chelsea. She didn't even offer a greeting, just began to work on Moria. Her expression soured at how much blood Moria had lost, and she tapped the neck wound with her wand. He saw the bleeding slow, and to his relief, Moria inhaled sluggishly. She was still pale, and apparently still unconscious. But she was alive.

"I need to get her to Mungo's. Thank God the charms are down." Chelsea declared turning to Wulfric. "Wulf! Get over here." She called out. The older blonde rushed over, and Sirius could see his eyes flash in anger at the sight of Moria, before plucking the woman out of his arms. Sirius stood, about ready to fight.

"I'll-"

"I don't need you possibly splinching yourself when we apparate or more importantly her being splinched. I don't want her losing any more blood. She's on the edge as it is." Chelsea snarled. Sirius took a step back, almost in surprise at the anger that Chelsea had on her expression. "You've already hurt her enough, why don't you stop while you're ahead?!" She yelled before turning and gripping Wulfric and the trio disparated with a pop.

* * *

They had made it to Mungo's a little bit later, and after being healed, and forced to drink disgusting potions, settled in the waiting room. Sirius was the farthest from the group, staring at the door where Healers were walking in and out, Chelsea's words repeating in his head over and over again.

"Penny for your thoughts?" A voice asked. He glanced up, staring at Bryn who was looking at him, smiling. He looked away. He didn't deserve kindness right then. She sighed and sat down next to him.

"Shouldn't you be worrying about your son? Not about me?"

"Geoffrey is in good hands right now." She stated, pointing. He glanced in the direction of her finger and saw that Geoffrey was with Remus, apparently content in gripping large handfuls of the werewolf's hair in his tiny hands, playfully yanking them. The small toddler laughed at Remus's pained expression. He smirked, his eyes tired.

"How old is the tyke again? He's growing like a weed." Sirius murmured watching as Remus put him down. Bad move on Remus's part as Geoffrey took off, running away, with Remus in close pursuit. Bryn chuckled.

"He's a year old already." Bryn stated. "And as flattering as this conversation is…I'm not here to talk about my son's age." She commented. "What did Chelsea say to you?" She asked.

He was silent, staring at the door again. Bryn sighed.

"Don't take what she said to heart. She tends to snap at people when she gets pissed off or worried."

"She was right though." Sirius whispered. Bryn glanced at him, watching as Sirius rubbed his face hard, his eyes pained. "I'm a git."

"Is that surprising?"

"Thanks a lot."

"But you'd have to have some redeeming qualities, or I doubt Moria would have gone out with you." Bryn stated.

"I pushed her away."

"Because of the Potter's deaths?" Bryn observed. Sirius flinched, looking away. "I doubt she was angry at you for that. Hurt? Probably…but never angry."

"How can you be so sure?" Sirius asked. "I'm not even sure that she would forgive me."

"Because she knows just as much as I know that everyone grieves differently." Bryn replied. Sirius looked up at her, his eyes red rimmed and glassy. "I grieved the loss of a lot of things by seeing the good of what came. Geoffrey. If he hadn't come along…I probably wouldn't have had the reason to escape. And I probably wouldn't have lasted long after." She explained. "Moria probably grieved in a different way about the loss of her parents. How can she have been angry to something that she knows everyone has a different way of dealing with?"

Sirius was silent, staring at Bryn almost in surprise. She smiled and it brightened when Geoffrey toddled up to her gripping her pant leg, almost begging to be picked up, which she obliged. Remus walked up to the pair, looking tired.

"He's a fast runner." He merely stated and Bryn laughed, nuzzling her son's cheek.

"Did you get tired of Remus, Geoff?"

"Moo-ey." Geoffrey exclaimed, laughing and wiggling around. He then glanced at Sirius, who seemed to be observing them. He stretched towards Sirius.

"Ahdut!" He yelled triumphantly. Finally Sirius chuckled and looked at Remus in confusion mixed with amusement.

"Ahdut?"

"A rather butchered version of Padfoot." Remus explained with a chuckle.

"Sorry about that." Bryn remarked. She then looked up as Chelsea exited. Sirius stood up quickly, but still looked hesitant. Chelsea was the last person one would want to piss off. He had learned that several times the hard way…and he was pretty sure he had managed to piss her off with his behavior lately.

"So…how's the prognosis?" Bryn asked, taking over where Sirius had faltered. James and Lily had hurried over. Chelsea frowned and then shrugged.

"Dare I ask what she did to piss them off so badly?" She asked. "Considering how much shit they did to her."

"We don't know." James answered. "She never told us."

"Hmph." Was Chelsea's response. "Well whatever happened to her leg, was before your imprisonment." Chelsea stated. "She lost a lot of blood with that, gained a small infection…which I attribute to having an open wound. Other than that and the obvious slit throat she earned a fractured wrist—in three different places, a dozen abrasions, a few broken ribs, a small concussion, and about a dozen or so bruises." Chelsea listed off, merely glancing at how pale Sirius was getting with a cool indifference. Bryn however frowned.

"Chelsea-"

"All in all Black. You should consider yourself lucky you're dating a fighter." Chelsea remarked. "She's weak…but she's conscious now. And…she's asking for you." She stated, jerking behind her shoulder. "Go on ahead. She's in the third room on the right." She informed. Sirius was gone within an instant. Bryn glared at her friend.

"Did you have to be that mean? The bloke already feels guilty enough." She hissed out. Chelsea shrugged.

"Just being honest. Besides, you know Moria. She'll want to know what happened to her." Chelsea replied. Bryn rolled her eyes and the pair began to converse. Remus was watching the pair as James walked up to him.

"Have you told her yet?"

Remus glanced at his friend and frowned, shaking his head. James sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking at Remus. "Just tell her Moony. This is Bryn. She won't go running off screaming to the heavens in fear if she knows that you're a werewolf." James continued, before walking over to where his wife was. Lily automatically curled up to his touch, pressing her head into his chest. Remus swallowed at the sight and glanced at Bryn.

* * *

Sirius panted as he raced down the hall. He had been an idiot, a complete idiot to think that he could just act so coldly around her and for her to not be affected by it. Now he would have to beg for her forgiveness. But would she accept it? After all that had happened, he wouldn't be surprised if she didn't feel rejected and would be angry at him.

A darker part of his mind spoke out. How much did he still love her? What part did he love her? What about did he love her? How much…

But that train of thought was killed, vanquished, smothered, and drifted away as he turned around a corner and spotted the room. He hesitated for a brief second, staring at the door in a panicked haze before silently opening it, peering in. And there she was. She seemed to be asleep, one arm draped over her stomach, the other resting against her side. Her hair had been let out of the ponytail that it had been in for weeks, cleaned of whatever had been in it. A thick bandage was wrapped around her neck. Apparently magical healing had already done its wonders and now it just needed to be kept safe of infection. She looked peaceful, the color returned to her face. Slowly her eyes opened, and she locked contact with him in a near second. She smiled.

A new thought dawned into his mind.

It didn't matter. It didn't matter at all. He loved her. He just did and that was all. So much he could hardly stand it.

"Hey." He stated softly, walking in and sitting down next to her.

"Hi…" she whispered, offering a soft smile. He let out a chuckle, which seemed to be weary. She stared at him, frowning. "Sorry…scared you…"

"Don't." He stated. "Don't apologize."

She stared at him, biting her lower lip. She could sense it. No good. It wasn't good at all. Everything was over. She had done something wrong and there was nothing she could do. It hurt to just hear his name and it felt like she was being stabbed repeatedly in the chest. She had been delusional to think that anyone would want a long relationship with her…the 'Ice-Queen of Gryffindor'…she was no good, dragging her feelings around. A bother to everybody…especially to Sirius. It was hopeless…she had told herself just to smile when she saw him again and had failed miserably.

"_You are such a complete failure."_ She heard echoing in her brain. She felt her heart breaking. She then tuned back into a sigh looked up, her eyes glassy and fighting back tears. Sirius was looking down at the ground, seeming to contemplate things. And her heart snapped in two and the tears slid down her cheeks. She wanted to be with him…but as of late, she was positive he didn't. And it hurt. It hurt so much. She automatically covered her face trying to hide the fact she was crying.

"_Stop. Stop crying. I don't want to be a bother to him. I don't want him to see me crying."_ She kept ordering her mind to obey but it did nothing. Suddenly she felt a hand touch hers and she looked to see Sirius now sitting on the side of the bed, clasping her hands, being careful of their still bandaged hands. He swallowed before looking at her.

"I…" He started and stopped as though trying to figure out what the bloody hell he was going to say. "Moria…I'm sorry…I was only thinking about myself. I was being selfish, acting like what I wanted to, saying what I wanted to say." He said before looking away not seeing her eyes widening in shock. "And I completely ignored your feelings." He continued and tears slid down her face.

"Siri-"

"I should have known it could have happened…that we might never be able to see each other again and I would never have a chance to apologize. I should have known…but I kept making the same mistakes over and over again. It's like I never learned." He continued, interrupting her. She tried to talk again, but her voice clung to the back of her throat and his grip on her hand tightened.

"I'm sorry that I made you cry. I hurt you a lot and I'm really sorry." He said. "But this is the last time. Just please. Please give me one more chance with you." He begged looking at her anxiously. "I want us to be together, I want to live together. I hate not being with you…I hate myself for putting a rift between us. I never, never wanted to hurt you, Moria. I love you." He said and her face grew in shock. "I love you so much Moria." He said and the tears slid down her face again, and she once again tried to stop them, and like before the tears didn't stop as she nodded her head a slight sob escaping from her mouth.

She felt his hand glide across the edge of her face before cupping her cheek, gliding his thumb over it wiping at the tears.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry." She whimpered out, wiping at her tears. She heard him chuckle softly and looked at him.

"Love, don't you dare apologize for my stupidity." He murmured before drawing her to him and kissing her. She blinked in shock before relaxing and returning the kiss, gripping his shirt. Slowly they withdrew and he rested his forehead on her. "I'm so sorry, Moria. Am I forgiven?"

"You're an arse." She murmured, sniffling and he chuckled.

* * *

Bryn smiled as she spotted Remus walked over to them. Bidding Chelsea goodbye, she hoisted Geoffrey up, and walked up to him.

"Hey. How are you?" she asked as he walked up to her. He smiled at her before grabbing her hand.

"Tired…but relieved." He said and she laughed cocking her head to the side.

"That would be expected. I mean you nearly lost two of your mates. You haven't really slept since you got back." She said and then tsked jokingly at him. "You're going to get more gray hairs than anyone I know Remus with the amount of worrying that you do." She joked as they walked out of the hospital. He smiled, squeezing her hand lightly. He then remembered what James had told him before he had left.

"_Just tell her Moony. This is Bryn. She won't go running off screaming to the heavens in fear if she knows that you're a werewolf."_

Remus sighed. It was easier said than done. James, Sirius, and Peter had figured it out. And Snape had found out because of that stupid prank Sirius had done years back. He had never told anyone and honestly feared telling Bryn. No doubt she wouldn't want her son near him. They both had already gone through a lot…why-

"-emus? Remus you there?" he heard Bryn said and snapped back into reality.

"Oh sorry." He said ducking his head as he blushed. Bryn looked at him with concern on her face. Geoffrey seemed to notice it too, and was now staring at him.

"Something wrong?" she asked, and he looked at her confused.

"What makes you say that?" he asked and she pressed her finger on her brow.

"Whenever you start thinking about something really hard, your eyebrows knit up and you frown." She explained. "You did that in Hogwarts too. It's a miracle you haven't gotten any wrinkles because of it." She said and he chuckled. "So? Is something bothering you?" she asked looking at him. He glanced at her. Better now than never.

"Can we just…sit…I need to tell you something." He said and she looked at him before nodding and sitting down on a nearby park bench and letting Geoffrey rest against her lap. She looked at him.

"Alright…so I've been hiding something from you." He said and she cocked her head to the side.

"Which is?"

"I…I'mawerewolf." He said quickly and she blinked her eyebrows furrowing.

"Could you say that again? A bit slower,please?" She asked and he internally groaned.

"Bryn…"he said sitting down next to her clasping her hand with his. "I'm…I'm a werewolf." He said and she blinked and opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off.

"I'm sorry I never told you. It's just that I didn't want you to run away and never talk to me. I know that this can come as a shock-"

"That's it? Remus, I already knew that." Bryn said and Remus looked at her in surprise.

"You...you did? Did Moria-"

"No. I figured it out. For one right before a full moon you always get a bit…jumpy and more animalistic around me. Such as making sure guys don't get near me if we're out, being a bit more protective over Geoffrey, getting a little more…frisky during those times." She said and his face turned red. "Then you would disappear every full moon, only to come back the next day exhausted and covered in injuries. It's not that hard to figure out. Besides…I knew since our third year." She said and his shocked look continued.

"How…" he trailed off and she blushed pushing back a strand of her hair in embarrassment.

"Well…my third year my…menstrual cycle started while we were at school. I had owled my mum but I knew it take a little while for her to send anything." She said her blush growing deeper and redder. "So I went to Madam Pomfrey to ask if she had anything. I guess it must have been the day after the full moon because you were there getting treated." She explained.

"Wha?" He started, furrowing his brow, trying to remember. "But I don't remember anyone walking in anytime when I was being patched up by her." Remus said confused. Bryn blushed.

"That would be because I didn't go in. 3rd year was just when I was coming to terms that I had a crush on you." She said, waving her free hand nonchalantly. "It was a very awkward year for me. But I thought you were just getting a bandage and would leave soon. Then I overheard Madam Pomfrey talking about every month with you and that she doubted that James, Peter, or Sirius would care if you were a werewolf and it probably would have been better if someone knew." She said.

"But you didn't…I mean you didn't treat me any differently…why?" he asked looking at the ground.

"Why should I?" She asked. Remus looked at her.

"Well for one, werewolves aren't well liked in any community. We're considered monsters. And Geoffrey-"

"Adores you. If a one year old isn't afraid of a 'monster' why should I?" She asked. "I know what a monster is, Remus. I had to live two years with normal men who were anything but human. So I define monsters as being something completely different." She stated. "Besides the fact, I'm a muggleborn witch who was known as being a slight airhead. For one I didn't really know what being a werewolf entailed or how I should act…two I didn't care. You were still Remus, the boy who helped me cast Wingardium Leviosa without blowing myself up, helped me figure out half of my homework because Chelsea was about as bad as I was, and helped me in our first flying lesson when Madam Hooch was chastising James for being a showoff, and I ended up flipping over upside down." She said forcing him to look at her.

"I loved you then and I love you now. Human, wizard, werewolf, I don't care. I think the only time I'll ever stop loving you is if you turn into Peeves." She said and he chuckled. "I'm being serious. If you die and turn into a poltergeist I swear to Merlin I will-" she began to say but was cut off as he kissed her. She murmured softly against his mouth. He moved away from her a smile on his face and he laughed softly. She blushed and smiled as well.

"Moo-ey!" Geoffrey grunted placing his hands on the older man's face, a definite frown on his chubby face. Remus burst out laughing.

"Don't like that I'm stealing your Mum, huh?" He joked. Geoffrey huffed causing both adults to laugh.

* * *

It was late at night as Sirius glanced over at Moria. She was reclined in her bed, resting against his chest, reading something…a book that Lily had given to her. He shifted, grunting slightly before he slid his finger just across her cheek earning—much to his satisfaction—a shudder and her leaning into his touch.

"Sirius…" She trailed off and then shifted. "I should probably get some sleep." She whispered going to move and allow him to leave. He grabbed her wrist quickly and looked at her pleadingly.

"I'll stay here…okay?" he asked.

"Sirius…" she began.

"Moria, I was a git for nearly a month and I haven't held you in that time. And I missed that." He said. She stared at him and sighed and smiled slightly before nodding. She scooted over and allowed him room to lie down, before following and curling up to him. He pulled her to him, resting his chin on the top of her head. He closed his eyes enjoying her warmth, realizing how much he had missed this. Listening to her light breathing and feeling it tickle the side of his neck ever so slightly, her body automatically curled loosely to his side.

"Moria?" he said softly and she looked up him, as he moved away. He then kissed her, pulling her close to him. He felt her grip his shirt under her hands, fisting it tightly. He tangled his fingers in her hair, a groan escaping his mouth as he moved to kiss deeper. She murmured softly.

"Sirius…we're in the hospital." She gasped as he slid his mouth to her neck. He groaned in annoyance, resting his head on her neck.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. No shagging at the hospital." He murmured and he heard her laugh breathlessly. He had missed this…he had missed this so much. Just talking to her, laughing, kissing, holding her. He regretted being a git to her. He regretted it so much.

"Moria." He said softly and she once again looked at him, her eyes slightly closed, her cheeks red, and a small smile on her face.

"Hm?"

"I love you." He said and heard her laugh before she kissed him gently on the lips.

"I love you too." She replied before resting her cheek onto his chest. He smiled slightly before closing his eyes and for the first time in a month, despite not being in his own bed—instead being on an uncomfortable cot that had odd bumps in it—slept peacefully.

* * *

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" James asked as he and Lily entered their home. He closed the door and locked it. Lily seemed nervous. "Lil? You oka-" He began to ask, but stopped when she walked over to him and hugged him, pressing her face into his shirt.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lily asked, her voice quiet as she looked up at him. He offered a tired smile.

"I'm fine Lily. Just a bit bruised."

"You don't know how scared I was when I found out you, Sirius, and Moria had been captured." She murmured. "I…I thought we wouldn't find you alive. We almost didn't find Moria in-"

"But it didn't happen." James interrupted. "Moria is perfectly fine now."

"She's still in the hospital."

"For an overnight observation. She'll be released tomorrow." James reassured. "Now what's bothering you?"

Lily glanced down and then pressed one of his hands to her stomach, inhaling sharply to stop her crying. She offered a teary smile.

"I'm pregnant."

His reaction would have been hilarious, if her heart was threatening to thud out of her chest. He stared at her, his eyes wide as the gaze flicked from her face, to her stomach, then back to her face. And then a dazzling smile spread across his mouth. He laughed weakly, and it grew in strength, before he was on the verge of whooping. He picked her up and swung her in a circle, before kissing her deeply, enough to make her dizzy.

"Are you positive?" He asked when they parted. "A baby? Really?"

She nodded weakly, tears sliding down her face, contradicting her smile. He frowned, wiping the tears away.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because…I don't know. I didn't know if you'd want it." She finally whispered. "We're in the middle of a war, this is no place to bring a child into the mix, and-"

He silenced her again with another kiss.

"I don't care. It's a baby. That fact alone, will give me more reason to fight." He argued. "I want this." He stated with a smile. "I want this so much."

She stared at him, before a brilliant smile broke across her face, and she laughed, pressing her forehead to his, kissing his cheek. He pulled her to him, pressing his face into the crook of her neck, kissing her hair. She felt one hand slide to her stomach, feeling the soft flesh as though that would get the baby to kick. She laughed against his chest, moving away.

"The baby can't kick yet." She reprimanded him. He offered a smile, drawing her into another kiss.

"I don't care. There's a baby there."

She laughed and nodded, pressing a hand over his.

"Yeah. There's a baby there."

**SO…READ AND REVIEW? WHAT DID YOU GUYS THINK?**


	9. TRANSFORMATIONS

**UMMMM...SO...HOW ARE YOU GUYS LIKING THE STORY SO FAR? JUST CURIOUS.  
**

"You sure you're going to be alright?" Lily asked as she, James, Moria, and Sirius stood outside of Mungo's. Moria grinned.

"We'll be fine Mum." Moria joked and Sirius grinned as well, before grabbing Moria's hand and then the pair walked away, Moria waving goodbye. The married couple stared at the pair.

"Bet you 1 Galleon that they'll be shagging within the hour that they get back to the apartment." James joked and Lily rolled her eyes groaning.

"What, did I marry a hormone raged teenager?" she grumbled and James frowned but then Lily grinned, a slight mischievous look on her face. "Besides. They'll be shagging probably within a minute that they get back." She added and James just burst out laughing, and the pair walked back towards their own flat, holding hands.

"So the baby giving you any trouble?" James asked. Lily smiled, shaking her head.

"Nope. But how about we go get some ice cream?" Lily asked, blinking innocently at James. James grinned, and then squeezed her hand.

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

"Home sweet home." Sirius said stretching as they entered the apartment the next day. Moria grinned, glad to be home. It had been bad enough that they gained a few looks as they walked down the street, namely her, especially around the neck area, where the barely visible scar was. Thankfully it would go away in a few days, but that hadn't stopped the old ladies from following them for over a block to ask if she needed help to get away from what they perceived to be a psycho boyfriend.

If only they knew the _real _story.

She blinked when she felt his arms wrap around her waist, hoisting her up just enough so her feet were dangling. She turned slightly, looking at him amused.

"Sirius, what are-" she began to ask but was cut off when he kissed her. She groaned softly wrapping her arms around his neck as her legs wrapped around his waist.

"Somebody missed this." He hummed and she grinned against his mouth.

"Like you didn't." She teased, sliding a hand down and just grazing the button to his trousers, before grazing her nails up his stomach pushing his shirt up, causing a small keening sound to permeate from his mouth and what sounded like him groaning her name. She shot him a teasing grin.

"What was that, Mr. Black? I don't think I quite heard that over your whimpering." She teased and a semi-loud growl came from him.

"I'll show you whimpering, Prescott." He growled out and promptly began marching towards the bedroom as Moria laughed. He kissed her again, slowly and teasingly causing her laughter to die and be replaced by a loud groan running her fingers through his hair. It wasn't soon after that Sirius, forgetting that he had a tendency to just kick off his shoes and leave them wherever, tripped on one of those said shoes, stumbling. Thankfully they were close enough to the bed, but Moria still managed to wind him when he landed on his back onto the bed, her on top of him.

"Remind me to put my shoes where they belong." He grumbled out and she laughed before kissing him gently. He groaned softly, sitting up. He tangled his hands in her hair and he heard her moan. He gave a small yank on her hair, forcing her head back and slid down, kissing her neck gently. She leaned her head back, shuddering as his teeth scraped her neck, his mouth running over the faded scar. He loved that tremor; that shudder that only he could make her do. He trailed his fingers over her shoulders, over the soft wool of the pretty red sweater, along with the dark red buttons down the front,

"You always look just right." He commented. He unbuttoned it slowly and then drew it down her arms to her elbows, left it there. "You've got a knack for it."

With her arms roped in sweater, he pressed his lips, just a light hint of teeth, to the side of her neck, down her skin to the edge of the sweater she wore beneath. She shuddered again and he listened to the sound of her breath quickening, thickening. And looked at her, enjoying how flushed and just a little anxious she looked. He ran his hands down her arms until both his fingers and the sweater cuffed her wrists. Then he took her mouth, ravishing it, saturating himself with the taste of her, devouring the quick, helpless sounds she made while he felt her pulse thundered under his hands.

He eased back and smiled into her dazed eyes. "We'll save this for later." He said and released her hands. He watched her face as he drew the sweater underneath the first up and away; he watched her face as he played his fingertips over her warm, bare skin. Then he pleased himself, looking down at the bra of tan lace and played with a strap. "Yeah…you always look just right." He commented and she tried to say something, a witty comeback but nothing sparked as he slid down the zipper of her skirt that the healers had told her she still had to wear. At that moment it was her favorite piece of clothing.

Her heart thudded, slow and hard as she helped him remove his shirt, as she found the hard muscles of his shoulders, his chest, his back. He kissed her again and moved her to where she was lying on her back. His hands, his lips played over her, tirelessly, relentlessly. She had no defense against him, against her own need, and wanted none.

She just wanted him, wanted his warmth, wanted everything of him.

"Sirius…" she whimpered and he smirked, kissing her deeply.

"Hang on Love. This is going to be one long ride." He murmured.

* * *

She wasn't sure she could move, or that the bones in her body would ever solidify again and hold her upright.

She wasn't sure she cared.

Sirius was sprawled on top of her, dead weight and that didn't seem to matter either. She liked his weight, his warmth, feeling his heartbeat gradually slowing down so she knew she hadn't been the only one to fly.

She had definitely missed this, missed his touch, his warmth, everything, she mused smiling softly. This day was definitely going into her record of best shag ever.

"Want me to move?" she heard him say, his voice thick and just a little sleepy.

"Not especially."

"Good, 'cause I like it here." He said and she let out a soft laugh as he nuzzled the crook of her neck.

"You are so much like a dog." She finally said.

"Woof." He joked. She laughed as he kissed her neck again. "I love you." He added and she blushed.

"I love you too." She said. She closed her eyes gently as he began to relax and drift off into sleep before she too fell into slumber.

* * *

"Remus." A voice said but as usual Remus attempted to ignore the voice by burrowing his head into his pillow. The voice persisted.

"Remus it's almost noon, it's time to wake up."

"Five more minutes." He grumbled his voice heavy with sleep. The voice let out a soft sigh and he thought for a split second he had won the argument until that is he felt pressure on his back as someone sat on him. There was a giggle and then the familiar tug on his hair. He opened one eye slightly and saw Bryn looking at him with an apologetic smile, with Geoffrey sitting on his shoulders, babbling incoherently.

"Bryn, get him off." He complained, once again burrowing his face into the pillow. She however only offered a pat on the shoulder as though she was apologizing for waking him up.

"James, Sirius, and Peter are downstairs. I could always get them to wake you up." She suggested and after a memory of him waking up to a bucket filled with cold snow flashed into his memory, decided that even though those three had become adults would probably not waste a good opportunity to wake him up abruptly.

"I'm up. I'm up." He grumbled and she laughed softly, kissing his cheek, before picking her son up. He grunted as he pulled himself out of bed scratching the side of his head. Bryn laughed and Geoffrey smiled widely, laughing as well.

"I'll let you get dressed." She said and hummed as she left and he smiled as he pulled on a shirt. A few minutes later he came out of his room and spotted the four, Bryn handing James a cup of water.

"So you got kicked out of the house?" Remus asked and James pouted at him. "You are doomed in the next nine months." He said.

"I didn't get kicked out. Lily wanted to go out shopping with Alice and Moria for some baby stuff." James argued.

"Mate, you got kicked out." Sirius joked. "You should learn timing."

"Timing? Don't give me that. At least I make sure Lily is fully clothed when she answers the door. Unlike Moria who answered the door in your shirt…and your shirt only."

"I was asleep!" Sirius retorted his face a slight red hue. Remus sighed and Bryn laughed as the two began to argue. Geoffrey cocked his head to the side, listening to the words.

"Bastard?" He asked, in confusion, repeating what James had called Sirius. The two men froze and glanced at Bryn and Remus. Bryn looked amused. Remus…not so much.

As the two men tried to get the one year old to stop, desperately, none of them noticed Peter glance at them, then back at his drink, swirling the water a darkening glare growing on his face.

* * *

"Enlighten me, why didn't you want James helping you with this?" Moria asked as they browsed around the baby department.

"Because he would be trying to get me to get our baby some sort toy that would most likely break his neck and he's being so overprotective of me. It's annoying."

"So it's a he?"

"I don't know yet…but it's better than calling the baby, It."

"True." Moria stated. "Anyways I think all dad's-to-be are like that." Moria said. "You should have seen this one lady. The poor bloke was panicking over ever pain and contraction she was having. It was their first baby. Got to the point to where she threatened to hex him." She said with a slight chuckle.

"I have a feeling I'm going to have to do that with James when that day comes." Lily said and Alice nodded.

"Most likely will have to do that with Frank. He hasn't gotten to that point yet as quickly as James, but I have a feeling he will." Alice complained and Moria smirked.

"Oh and I may have accidentally scarred James when he went to our apartment."

"You didn't walk out in the nude did you?"

"No! I had a shirt on." Moria retorted Lily burst out laughing.

"I doubt that he's letting Sirius off the hook for that." Lily said as she glanced around at the baby clothes. She hadn't liked any of the wizarding clothes for infants so they had dragged Alice to a muggle store in search for some baby outfits. So far Alice had found one that was adorable so they were looking for an outfit for Lily, which was proving much harder than Alice as Lily was being picky. Moria sighed as they went through yet another row. Moria stopped when she spotted a light blue baby outfit that had a small deer stitched on the front.

"How about this one?" Moria asked lifting it up. "I mean you and James's patronus's are deer. And his nickname is Prongs." Moria said and then watched Lily's face light up at the onesie. She smiled, knowing that Lily had fallen for that.

"Alright…well that was lucky on my part." Moria said as she handed the onesie to Lily who lightly squealed. Moria smiled at the two women as they rushed to go buy the onesie's.

She then felt a sense of being left out and pressed her hand to her stomach. She sighed and shook her head before following the two to the checkout lane.

* * *

"You're serious?"

"Yup. I mean how hard can it be?" Sirius asked as they stood in front of a skating rink. Moria glanced at Lily and Bryn who were trying—rather unsuccessfully—to not burst out and laugh. It had only been two days since James and Sirius had happened to cross paths with this place and they had not stopped bugging Moria and Lily about it. Remus looked mildly interested.

"It's not like flying on a broom you two." Moria argued but the two seemed stubborn on trying it.

"Thank Merlin I have my camera." Lily said laughing. She knew full well at four months, roller-skating was a bad idea. Chelsea sighed.

"So that means Bryn, Chelsea, and I will be teaching you four?" Moria clarified glancing at Peter, James, Sirius, and Remus.

"Yup. Come on Moria, how hard can it be?" James asked and Lily burst out laughing at her husband.

"Oh you'll be seeing that…pretty soon." Moria murmured as they walked in.

* * *

"Okay whose brilliant idea was this to go and try this?" Sirius groaned as he once again sat on the ground.

"Yours." James said.

"No it was yours." Sirius argued.

"Are you two going to keep arguing?" Moria asked as she skated up extending her hands to the two fallen men. "You're the ones who wanted to learn." She chastised. The two men grumbled and could hear Lily cackling, most likely taking pictures of them essentially falling on their arses multiple times. Geoffrey was sitting happily next to Lily, laughing along with her, though pretty oblivious as to why. Currently Remus was being taught by Bryn, clutching her hand tightly. Peter was currently gripping Chelsea as though she was a life line and she was clearly not happy with him being so grabby on her arm, but was ignoring it due to the fact she knew he had NO skills skating.

Moria grunted as James and Sirius lifted themselves up gripping her hands tightly.

"How are you staying up? We can barely keep our feet under us and you're lifting us up as though it's nothing." James complained.

"James, I was raised as a muggle. I know how to roller-skate." She said. Their grips tightened on her hands as she began to roll backwards. "Okay act like your walking. But push off with your foot." She instructed and like young children they did as she was told. Slowly they began to move and Moria smiled slightly as their death grips relaxed just a bit on her wrists. Moria laughed as they finally began to get it.

* * *

"My arse is killing me." Sirius complained several hours later.

"Tough, love, I'm not healing it." Moria stated

"But Moria-"

"No pain, no gain. Besides you'll be fine by tomorrow." Moria said with a satisfying smirk as her boyfriend glared at her. "Besides you got the hang of it."

"Yeah, but only after falling on our arses a good dozen times." James complained.

"Hey I warned you." Moria stated. "Besides Bryn and Remus had a fun time and after you got the hang of it, so did you two." She argued.

"Though I think Wormtail is mad at us." Sirius grumbled and Moria smirked.

"That would be because he got stuck being taught by Chelsea, who is not the most patient of people." Moria said and Sirius snorted in agreement.

"The bloke needs to find a girlfriend." James concluded before grunting and standing up. "It's pretty late. I think it's time for me and my lovely pregnant wife to head back home, considering Lily is nearly passed out." He stated and they glanced at Lily. She was completely relaxed, her head resting on the back of the sofa.

"Yeah. Night you two." Moria said as James slightly hoisted Lily up, Lily leaning heavily on him. Moria closed and locked the door. She then turned to Sirius who was glaring at her.

"You've got a mean streak Prescott." He chastised, walking over to her and pulling her close.

"Aw, really? Well why don't I make it up to you?" She teased.

"Tempting, but you see because of my arse, I can't move all too well." He grumbled and she merely smiled shifting her hands to where they began to crawl towards his trousers.

"And who said anything about you moving?" she asked her voice low and her smile mischievous. He barely had time to comprehend what that meant before she pulled him towards her, kissing him deeply.

Oh she had definitely won that round.

* * *

"You want me to what?" Moria asked, stunned.

"Show us how you fought the Deatheaters." Moody said. Moria's face paled and she shifted uncomfortably.

"It can't be that difficult. I mean you nearly made sure they were half-!"

"I don't like fighting." Moria reasoned.

"That could be argued." Moody grumbled and Moria glared at him. "At least tell us the spells you used." He added after gaining a look from Dumbledore and a glare from Sirius to back off. Moria once again shifted uncomfortably.

"I didn't." she whispered and they looked at her strangely.

"You didn't what?"

"Use spells. The only spell I used was Stupefy on the last one. Other than that I used my hands and feet." She explained her face growing red as Sirius, Moody, Dumbledore, and Wulfric stared at her.

"You beat them into a pulp. A bloody pulp. How the hell did you do that?" Wulfric asked and Moria glanced at the ground.

"When you spend three years essentially living on the streets in the worst part of London, you either learn how to fight or you die." She said, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear and sighed. "Look what I mostly did was simple which is probably why they weren't expecting it."

"And that would be?" Dumbledore asked. Moria bit her lip.

"I went for areas that I knew would hurt…or inhibit them. Aiming for arms and jaws means they can't do spells. Aim for the chest and it winds them long enough to where you can hit them again and hope you knock them out. Hit them anywhere from the waist and below and they're busy trying to regain their senses. I learned you go after each one and knock them down one at a time…but that depends on the situation." She said with an indifferent shrug, looking at the ground as the four men stared at her in shock. Hours later Moria and Sirius returned home. Moria had been keeping her gaze on the ground ever since the conversation.

"Moria. Look at me." She heard Sirius say. She glanced up at him and saw he was staring at her, his eyes concerned.

"You told us that you literally fought five Deatheaters without magic. How?"

"Sirius-"

"God dammit Moria, I can understand not telling them your reasons. I can understand not telling Lily or Alice, but you can tell me!"

"I snapped okay?!" she hissed out and he looked at her stunned.

"I was frustrated, angry, sad, and hurt. We were barely 'us' and I didn't know how long I was going to be able to handle being alone…then when I saw you and James on the ground unresponsive and I…" She trailed off, taking a deep breath. "Do you know how many funerals I've gone to? My Uncle Martin's family, my parent's, my grandparents, Logan's, fake Bryn's, the Potters, and the Evans family. That's seven! In my lifetime I've gone through more funerals than most of my friends have. I didn't want to have to go to James and certainly not your funeral as well!" She continued and he tried to speak, but the words stuck to his throat.

"It was hard…but I maintained that balance of emotions. I still had control." She said.

"But somewhere in-between when you found us and when we woke up that balance snapped." Sirius figured. Moria sighed running her fingers through her hair.

"They were talking amongst each other, planning on what they were going to do to me. One suggested they bring me along…so they could see you reaction. But then they said you were going to be half-dead…and I don't know…maybe it was like seeing that Logan be killed again, maybe it was just at that moment, but I went back to that angry eight year old girl that hated every living thing on this godforsaken world…who felt like every good thing had been taken away from her. And I just snapped." She said. She pushed her hair back, her hand—he realized—shaking as though this was hard for her to admit. It probably was.

"Mori-"

"I don't remember much after that. I remember that I kept telling myself I needed to fight. I needed to get my emotions out." She said and slowly leaned against the wall, sliding down its length. "Which I did, and four out of the five Deatheaters that I fought are still in the healing process. Three of them are probably not going to be able to walk properly or do anything without help." She said and tears began to slide down her face, though this time she made no attempt to brush them away. "I'm scared of myself. I'm supposed to be a healer—someone who heals, not nearly kills."

"They threatened to kill you Moria. And me and James. If you didn't fight, you would have died right there." Sirius argued moving towards her.

"I could have used spells; I could have done anything else. But instead I used my fists and I did what Malcolm did to me…someone I _**swore**_ I would never be like." She said. "But I can't stop it. It's all I know."

"Moria-"

"Do you know every now and then I wonder what it would be like to be a mum?" she asked and as she suspected his face turned red. "Don't worry Sirius, I don't mean right now...I just wonder what it would be like someday." She said but then smiled bitterly. "But then there's that little voice in my head…reminding me of what I did as a kid. And I realize…I'm terrified. I'm terrified that if I ever had a child, one of those days I would just snap…and I'll hurt them…just like Malcolm hurt me. And I force that want down, because I don't think I could handle that. Not risk a child's life because of-" she started to say but Sirius fell to his knees and pulled her to him, drawing her into a tight embrace.

"Moria…you're going to have to listen to me real carefully on this one." He stated and she swallowed, expecting him to confirm what she already knew. It didn't come. "You're nothing like him. Malcolm. What he did, he feels what he did was right…the way he hurt you. He has no remorse. But just by looking at you now, I can see that you regret hurting them, you wouldn't wish that upon anyone. You are on different spectrums of Malcolm. Look…" Sirius said moving to where he cupped her face with his hands, running his thumbs against the tears. "It's safe to say that neither of us had a loving home right away when we were kids. I had a mother who wanted me to be her little mindless minion that did everything and believed everything she said. You lived with a psychopath for three years and he scarred you in every possible way, besides sexual." He explained swallowing slightly.

"We're not perfect, none of us are. But we know what breaks a person…and we know what heals a person. We know that better than any of our friends. Sure we would make mistakes once in a while…that's life. If we make a mistake then we apologize. But no matter what, we would be in this together. Okay?" he asked and he heard her sob though it sounded like a watered down laugh and her nod into his chest.

"Now onto the topic of kids. I think you would be a wicked awesome mum." He said. "I mean you practically were James's and my mum back in Hogwarts."

"Gee…thanks." He heard her mumble, sarcasm evident in her voice.

"I meant that in an endearing way." He said kissing her forehead. "But I mean it…you would be a lovely mother."

"Thanks." She finally said before looking up at him amused. "And how many kids are you hoping to have?" she asked and his face turned red.

"Uh…a few. Hopefully enough to make a Quidditch team." He said and she looked at him as though he had grown another head.

"You want me have seven kids? Are you mad?"

"Hey don't get angry! I could always borrow some of James's kids." Sirius said quickly and Moria laughed.

"You better." She said in-between laughs. "I don't I could give birth to seven kids."

"Oh I don't know about that." He said kissing her gently. "I'd think you'd manage."

"You're insufferable." She murmured.

"One of my many charms." He said and kissed her again and she smiled softly. She had definitely been lucky in the boyfriend department.

Most definitely.

* * *

Moria sighed as she entered the Ministry. Today was the day. McGonagall had said was a downright miracle, that it had taken her so little of time. She had never seen anyone take up that skill so quickly. Granted she had already met three that had already learned that skill…but McGonagall didn't know that.

In all honesty it hadn't really surprised her when McGonagall had accepted the notion. Moria had been one of McGonagall's favorite female students; like Lily was to Slughorn, and had excelled in Transfiguration. And ever since she had found out about Sirius, James, and Peter she had been curious as to what it would be like.

So she had decided to give it a try.

And in all honesty she had been surprised that James, Sirius, and Peter had figured it out by themselves. The only reason she had figured it out so easily was with the transfiguration teacher's help.

"Well…time to go get registered." She murmured to herself as she entered the ministry office and headed towards the registration office.

Sirius was bored. Completely bored. Or more…anxious was the right word. Not only was Moria busy at the moment…he didn't even know what she was busy with. All he knew was that McGonagall had been chatting with her on and off and every now and then Moria would disappear for the entire day. He didn't really get it. So now out of sheer boredom he was following Lily and James around as they hunted for a cot for the baby.

"Oh come on mate, cheer up." James said.

"I'm bored!" Sirius complained as they glanced at cots. "And besides, Moria's been so secretive all of a sudden. How I am supposed to cheer up?" He complained and James looked at him, amusement blatant on his face.

"My, my…is Sirius Black worried?" he asked earning a glare from Sirius. "Mate, relax. Moria is definitely not cheating on you." He said with a smirk. Lily smiled as well. Sirius looked at the two of them.

"Do you two know something that I don't?" he asked and the other two merely shrugged before looking at another cot.

"Maybe." Lily teased and Sirius glared at them.

"Oi…tell me."

"Nope."

"Come on!" he said and the couple grinned. Boy was he not going to be expecting Moria's surprise at all.

"So Moria, have you been hiding something from me?" Sirius asked later that day as Moria made dinner. Moria glanced at him and gave him a sly smile.

"Maybe." She asked, sidestepping the question as she stirred some of the pasta.

"Moria." She heard him whine and sighed. Time to let the cat out of the bag.

"How long did it take you, James, and Peter to become animagi?" She asked turning off the stove and looking at him. He cocked his head to the side, contemplating.

"Well we knew about Remus in our third year…so we began working on becoming animagi a little while after that. I think we managed to not nearly kill ourselves around…the end of our fourth or beginning of fifth year. Why?" he asked and she smirked.

"Took me a year." She said and he stilled, looking at her as though she had just grown another head.

"Pardon?"

"Granted I had Professor McGonagall to help me out…so I guess I can say I cheated a bit." She added a smile on her face.

"You're an animagus now?" He asked and she nodded.

"In all honesty I was curious on how you three managed to do it, but it was McGonagall who commented about me thinking about doing it. I guess she caught me looking around some of my old transfiguration books." Moria continue with a shrug. He still stared at her and she cocked her head.

"Sirius? You in there?" She asked.

"Wha…how…when?" he managed to say and Moria couldn't help but smile at how cute he looked—all confused.

"I'm a registered animagus. You know perfectly well how, so I don't need to answer that question. And I started trying a little more than a year ago. Hence the reason why I've been so busy every now and then." She said

"How did you figure it out so quickly?" He finally managed (to his relief—a full sentence) to ask. Moria rolled her eyes then pointed at herself.

"Let's compare shall we? You, learned how to be an animagus in your fifth year by yourself—well you, James and Peter without any teacher help. Barring James, you two also weren't the best in McGonagall's class—who, by the way, _**is**_ a registered animagus. I, on the other hand, am a grown up, happened to be one of McGonagall's favorite students in transfiguration, and I also had help from her. Hence the reason why I figured it out so ea-" She said but was cut off as he came over to her and simply kissed her.

"Bloody hell, and here I thought it was something bad." He murmured and she looked at him amused.

"Aha…so you thought I was hiding something. Come on Sirius, you really think I would cheat on you?" She asked earning a small blush and she laughed.

"No! Well…okay a little. But that was because you were being so secretive." He retorted and she smiled kissing him slightly.

"It's called a surprise, Sirius. I'm fairly sure you know what they are." She said and he grumbled, apparently embarrassed.

"So…what's your animagus form?" He asked.

"I believe they called me a burgundy fox." She said. "Though I could simply show you." She added and before he could say anything she began to morph. He found it strange to see her morph into an animal. Sure he had seen James and Peter, and had gotten so used to it their transformations that it was standard. But as he watched her body undertake the transformation, shorten and her hair become darker and grow longer he realized how different it was.

Seconds later a small, dark brown fox was staring at him with light brown-amber colored eyes.

"Wow…I'm too used to James and my size. You're tiny." He said with a chuckle earning a low yip and a tail flick. "Yeah, yeah pout all you want babe. You're still smaller than me." He said leaning down. He could see her give a frustrated eye roll before morphing back into a human.

"Gee. Thanks." She grumbled before he drew her to him with a smirk on his face.

"Doesn't make you any less adorable." He said and she sighed rolling her eyes again.

"Nice save." She murmured as he kissed her. Soon after, dinner was forgotten as he pressed her against the counter of the kitchen.

"So…you're a vixen then." He said teasingly. She smirked as he drew her into another kiss. "Well let's see how much of a trickster you really are." He joked and she smiled but made no complaint when he quite literally hauled her up and began walking towards the bedroom.

"That was a lame pickup line, Sirius." She said and he grinned.

"Well you know what love? Whatever works." He said.

**READ AND REVIEW?**

**ALSO IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS OF WHAT YOU WANT ADDED, FEEL FREE TO COMMENT :D**


	10. WALLS COME CRASHING DOWN

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!**

Moria groaned loudly as she continued down the hall in Mungo's. It seemed that the Head was just trying to aggravate her. Why did she have to go and do this in the OB Ward? It's not like she did this as a normal profession. She pushed away the annoyance and entered the room she had been assigned, putting on a smile. She eyed the young girl who sat there, whose eyes had grown larger when she stepped in. Once again, she didn't know why she had been assigned the OB Ward today. She looked awful. Faded bruises, a Band-Aid across her cheek, the still healing wound on her neck, and the slight limp in her leg would have been enough to freak anyone out, let alone a possible mother to be.

"Hello, Miss…Cordelia is it?"

"I…yes…" she said, almost in a hesitant manner. "Excuse me for asking, but are you alright Healer…" she began to ask, but trailed off, her eyes scanning Moria again. She chuckled.

"Prescott. Moria Prescott." She responded, noting the girl's expression changed. Odd. "And I'm just peachy. I just had…a…rough last month." She said, laughing slightly at her own joke before clearing her throat, getting down to business. "Now then, you came to Mungo's on the complaint of, repeated projectile vomiting, headaches, and a missed period?" she asked. Cordelia nodded.

Moria offered a slight smile. "Can you lift up your shirt for me?" She asked. Slowly, the other girl did as she was told and flinched slightly as Moria tapped her wand against her stomach, and muttered a spell that Cordelia didn't quite understand. There was a moment of silence and then the rhythmic sound of a heart beat filled the void. There was more silence.

"Is…is that…" she tried to say weakly. Moria smiled at her, her face soft and caring, almost mother like.

"That would be the sound of your baby's heartbeat." Moria said. "Congratulations Miss Cordelia, it seems you are about…" She trailed off thinking as she observed the chart. "A month pregnant." She added and watched as Cordelia went into a daze. "Now then, you'll have to take some potions and some herbs for the baby." She stated and watched as she barely nodded before getting up to go. However as she opened the door, she ran into another form.

"Oof!"

Moria looked up in confusion. "Sirius? What are you doing here?" Moria asked as she stared at him, an eyebrow raised. Cordelia moved away, glancing at him and Moria held back a smile and a chuckle. She couldn't blame the other girl. He wasn't any better looking than Moria. He was covered in light bruises and had some slight scratches on his face. He stood there, smiling sheepishly, before holding up a greasy bag. The scent of a muggle fast food chips permeated into the room.

"I was bringing you lunch…Chelsea said…"

"Oh it's alright. Thank you Healer Prescott…" Cordelia said with a slight smile. "I'll be on my way now." She said, before rushing past Sirius and hurrying down the hall. Sirius watched her walk down the hall before turning to look at Moria, who looked amused.

"Did I say something wrong to her?"

"She just found out she was pregnant, and she's about a year or so younger than us." Moria answered, walking up to him, her arms crossed. "She's probably in shock. Probably didn't help that you came along acting like a lost puppy that is currently trying to lay the moves of asking for forgiveness for something that I already forgave you for a month ago."

"Ah…" he said, and coughed uncomfortably as she chuckled.

"Come on Sirius; let's have lunch before it gets cold." She added, grabbing his free hand and the pair walked the opposite way. She glanced up at him, and he still looked sheepish. She sighed, turning to him. "Sirius, I wasn't lying. I forgave you awhile back."

"Yeah…well…you have no idea what the death glares I've been getting from two pregnant ladies are like." He mumbled. She chuckled, imagining Lily and Alice's temperament to him. "And needless to say, I deserved it."

"Sirius-"

He pressed a finger across her mouth, stopping her objection, and shaking his head. "I did, Moria. I was a git. A complete and utter git."

She rolled her eyes, moving slightly. She looked at him directly and gave a soft smile, poking the bag. "Well then Mr. Black. You are completely forgiven as far as I can tell. I was worried I would have to try to find food a different way." She stated. He grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"That's good."

"And stop worrying about being a git. You're a git, but you're my git." She commented. And finally, FINALLY, he laughed loudly and she knew he would be fine.

* * *

"Are you sure you four can take care of him?"

"Bryn, he's a baby. Not an animal. Besides we deal with Remus every month." Sirius teased, earning a glare from Remus. "How hard can it be to take care of an innocent one year old?"

Bryn glanced down at her son, who was looking back at her innocuously, suckling on a binky. Innocent was putting him mildly. And she knew Remus was _fully_ aware of that. She looked at her boyfriend with a raised brow, who merely shrugged. He could take care of Geoffrey by himself. However James, Sirius, and Peter had insisted on coming over and helping. Though he could understand James, he didn't _quite_ understand why the other two wanted to. Bryn shrugged.

"Don't burn down the place." She finally ordered. Sirius snorted.

"Please. He's one. How much trouble could he be?"

Bryn paused mid-step and looked behind her shoulder, a wicked smile gracing her lips.

"Oh you'll see."

* * *

Lily looked at her swollen stomach, a smile pressed against her lips as a small kick rounded into her open palm. It had been nearly four months since she had discovered she was pregnant. And the mere fact that the baby was kicking fascinated her. She remembered James had been enthralled when the baby had kicked his hand in greeting. Maybe he was doing that right now to her. It was also so odd, she mused, thinking that there was a life growing inside of her. She wondered what he or she would look like. Would they have her hair or James? His eyes or hers? She already knew James was hoping for the baby to have her eyes, but even if the infant sported James's eyes, she would be happy.

"Lily." A voice called out and Moria entered the room, a teasing smile on her face. "How are you?" She asked. "And…Prongslet…right? I can't remember the nickname Sirius gave the baby." Moria drawled, and Lily chuckled rolling her eyes.

"It's better than Elvendork."

"I thought that one was pretty funny." Moria stated as the pair walked down the stairs and she could feel the glare hitting the back of her skull. She chuckled as she walked down the stairs, returning to where Alice and Bryn where, just chatting. Bryn glanced up and smiled at Lily.

"And here is Mum to be #2." Bryn cheered. "You'll be happy to know that James is getting a taste of being a dad by taking care of Geoffrey."

"Is he?" Lily asked an eyebrow rising. "I'll have to apologize to Remus then." She murmured offhandedly. "In any case, how are you? That job treating you fairly?"

Bryn laughed, shoving her hair behind her ear. "Yes it is. Being a cashier is…interesting. Meet some interesting people, and thankfully the manager is nice. Granted I think the manager is mostly just frightened by Remus, so he doesn't try anything."

"Frightened?" Alice commented. "By Remus? Really?"

"Remus shadows the poor man by at least a foot." Bryn explained. "And the scars on Remus's face freaks him out." She added, earning a chuckle. "One of the few times I think Remus doesn't mind them."

Lily snorted before laughing. "Imagine that." She commented before growing silent. "Hey. Bryn?"

"Hm?"

"What was it like?" Lily asked, almost hesitantly. Bryn blinked in confusion. "Giving birth? Was it…painful?"

Bryn paused for a second, her eyebrows rising beyond her bangs, and she frowned.

"You do realize that you shouldn't expect your labor to be as bad as mine right?" She asked, her voice soft. Lily and Alice nodded. Bryn blew out her breath, pushing her hair back.

"It was…indescribable about the pain." Bryn mused, a slight smile on her face. "But then again I was doing it on my own, without any type of medical help. I think one Deatheater came in, and she helped as best she could."

"A Deatheater…helped?" Alice asked, almost in shock.

"She must have been a mother, or going to be a mother." Bryn mused with a shrug. "Whatever the case, she took pity on me and helped me deliver the baby. But the point is it really, really hurt." She stated. "But considering that you aren't going to be in a cell, I think the circumstances will be different. It will likely still hurt. Just not as much." She added. There was silence for a few brief minutes.

"You did really well, given those circumstances." Alice commented. Bryn grinned in thanks.

"Why thank you." She replied. "You two will make excellent Mum's by the way." Bryn commented, grinning, as the pair blushed.

"You think?"

"We know." Moria replied. "No question, you two are going to be excellent Mums."

"And you'll make an excellent godmother. For both of them."

Moria blinked and looked at her two friends in confusion, her brow drawing upwards. Both women were smiling, looking at her with satisfaction stamped on their faces. Moria blinked several times, opening her mouth and then closing it again.

"C…Come again?" She finally voiced through strangled chords.

"Godmother. For both of us." Lily repeated a soft smile on her face. "We want you to be the godmother for both of our kids."

"B…but why?"

"Because you our best friend and we know you would do anything to protect our kids." Alice explained. "And we trust you enough to know that you would do anything to save them if they were in danger."

"So?" Lily asked, flipping her hair behind her shoulder. "What do you say?"

"I…I say…" Moria sputtered and then smiled meekly. "I say that I think you two are bonkers to let me be their godmother…but thankfully I'm bonkers too." She sighed. "So…sure. Why not?"

* * *

Loud yells were coming from the Lupin apartment, though none were of fear. Remus watched in amusement as Geoffrey ran past the kitchen doorway again, wearing his trousers over his head. Seconds later three grown men raced after him. He was now having difficulties from holding back his laughter.

"You three can go against Deatheaters with ease, and yet a one year old is beating you in managing to dress him?" He asked as Geoffrey toddled around him. James glared at him.

"Aren't one year olds not supposed to be walking this well at their age?"

"He was a quick learner." Remus replied with a grin. He glanced up when the door opened and Bryn stepped in, just in time to have Geoffrey, who was still yelling, run full force into the wall, falling backwards onto his rump. Unlike most mothers, Bryn snorted, covering her mouth as her son sat up, looking around, though he couldn't see anything. A chubby hand moved the waistband, and he finally spotted his mother. He began to babble incoherently and lifted his hands up. She willingly obliged and picked him up, gently removing his trousers from his head, smoothing his hair out. Geoffrey giggled cutely, looking at the other three men, who were panting hard.

"That…child…is a…devil…" Sirius grumbled, panting. Bryn chuckled.

"I warned you." She replied. He glared at her but she merely smiled. Geoffrey looked at Sirius innocently, and then smiled.

"Adfut." He cheered. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Sure. Act all innocent while Mum is here. But the moment she leaves, you put the horns back on." He teased. Geoffrey smiled toothily, extending a small hand towards him. Despite his annoyance before, Sirius offered a teasing grin.

"Well we better head off." James responded, his shoulders slumping in exhaustion. Suffice to say, the kid had showed all three men what to expect. "Lily will kill me if I don't get back and start getting whatever craving she wants." He teased. Bryn chuckled and allowed the three to leave, before looking at Remus.

"And people say you aren't anything like those three."

"Haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about." He replied with a grin. She finally burst out laughing, eyeing him.

"You and I both know the only way he acts like that is if someone feeds him chocolate." She explained. "So how much?"

"Just two pieces." Remus finally answered, chortling. Bryn smirked as Geoffrey suckled his hand, glancing at Remus.

"Dada."

Remus blinked, his back straightening in surprise as he stared at Geoffrey. Bryn looked at him in surprise too, but Geoffrey merely smiled, stretching his hand towards Remus, repeating the word over and over again. She looked at Remus as well.

"Remus..."

"Did…did he…I mean does he really think…" Remus trailed off, staring at Geoffrey. Bryn's brows furrowed and she bit her lower lip, bouncing the little boy on her hip.

"I guess…I mean he never actually met his own father. And you've been here more than a lot of people." She murmured, looking uncomfortable. "If you don't want him to call you that, I can make sure he doesn't-"

"No. It's alright." He finally answered, though a bit nervously. "Honest. It's just…are you sure…I mean I'm a werewolf."

"In comparison to the man who is actually his biological father?" She asked, her voice soft and non-accusatory, before shaking her head. "I think out of the two, you're the better option." She answered truthfully, smiling when she spotted a flush of color crawl across his cheeks. She looked down at Geoffrey who gave her a chubby grin, patting her cheek with a drool covered hand. She laughed softly before being pulled to Remus by him. She blinked in surprise, before smiling and pressing her face into his sweater.

Yeah. He was definitely better than the other option.

* * *

"I still don't see why we can't get James's kid a broom."

"It's going to be a baby for a little bit." Moria grumbled. "Good grief, I honestly hope if we ever have a kid, that's not the first thing you want to put them on."

Sirius blushed, though it seemed to go unnoticed by her as she observed some baby toys. She walked a few feet down, observing a pair of binkies. Maybe those would be good-

"Well, well. If it isn't Moria Prescott." A silky voice commented and Moria froze, before turning and looking up. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of a man about her age, wearing the customary employee uniform. His face was covered in acne scars, the bags under his eyes fairly prominent. His narrow face reminded her of a starved version of Peter's face, buck teeth and all.

"Justin." She remarked coolly, glancing behind to see that Sirius had walked around the corner, apparently to see what was on the other side.

"Almost didn't recognize you. You aren't the same scrawny brat that I used to see." He commented, his eyes skimming down her. She felt an icy stab in her midsection, and even though he wasn't doing anything to her, felt violated.

"Yeah well…you haven't changed much. I see you got a job though." She remarked. "What? Punching the daylights out of little girls not paying the bills?" She asked dryly. His eyes flashed for a second.

"Not when the main job runs away with their tail caught in-between their legs." He replied.

"If running away constitutes being moved into a safer environment, then yes…I did run." Moria returned, making a move to turn.

"Malcolm only gave you what you deserved." Justin replied angrily. Moria stopped, but held back the urge to roll her eyes. Of course she would run into one of Malcolm's admirers. She would never be that lucky to avoid them.

"Funny, scarring me for just blinking seems to be something I didn't deserve."

"You know…I hoped you would have died in that cupboard." Justin remarked and Moria blinked in surprise, before her eyes narrowed. "Then no one would have missed you."

"How do you know about that?"

"Malcolm doesn't mind telling your deepest, darkest secrets, Moria. Especially after all you did to him to ruin his life." He explained. Moria was silent, her hands curling into fists. "Did you not want anyone to know that the strong willed Moria Prescott, daughter of a musician and a slut slept in the cupboard under the staircase just waiting for the moment where her uncle gave her what she earned?"

Moria's gaze snapped up and she took a step forward, her eyes going into fight mode, her arm raising to punch him. However a form appeared in front of them almost with a snapping sound. Justin took a step back in surprise and Moria stopped short. Sirius was now blocking Moria from probably making a very big mistake of her life. Granted it now seemed that she would have to stop Sirius as she noted his eyes were a light with anger.

"Sorry to interrupt this rather _annoying_ chat, but you wouldn't happen to be Justin would you?" Sirius asked. Justin swallowed and then nodded as Sirius pointed in the direction of a manager who was currently staring at them. "Because he seems to want to talk to you."

Justin swallowed and made a move to turn away. Sirius however suddenly gripped his shoulder, giving a characteristic smile that Moria recognized. He was on the verge of pounding this man's face in.

"One more thing…you come near my girlfriend and talk to her like that again, you'll be praying that all you get is a black eye." Sirius remarked cheerfully, turning and grabbing Moria's wrist, walking away and dragging her down several aisles.

"You didn't have to do that. Threaten him."

"Yeah I did."

"Sirius-"

"Look, that bastard clearly just wanted to get a rise out of you, you think I was going to just stand idly on the other side of the aisle and let him?" Sirius asked, turning around. Moria stared at him and then groaned, running a hand through her hair.

"No, but Sirius…do you realize how much trouble you would have gotten into if he hadn't backed down?" She whispered. "And I don't want you to possibly be arrested for something on my accou-"

"I don't find it a hassle."

She let out a huff and then pressed her face into his chest. He could swear she heard her call him a git, but considering that she pressed herself a bit more into his shirt, he assumed that it was meant in an affectionate tone. He ran a hand over her head.

"Is what he said true?" The question was quiet and she shifted.

"About which part? That I deserved it or that he was paid to beat me up?"

"The cupboard under the staircase part."

"How did you think I got my claustrophobia?"

The answer was so brief, so utterly ridiculously brief. How something that traumatic could be condensed into a question that was in the same tone of her asking about the weather, escaped him. She was staring at the stitching in his shirt, her eyes cool…almost as though she had been transported back in time and was there again.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What could I say?" She asked. "That I used to cry…scream when I was in there when it first started out? That if I kept screaming he would drag me out by the hair and beat me till I wished I was back in there? Or that he would just lock me in there and leave and I would think I was going to die? Besides the fact that even if I managed to have found the appropriate time to tell you, which by the way I don't think I could bring up at a dinner table, do you really think I didn't know the first moment I turned around you would be hunting down Malcolm?" She asked, meeting his eyes which were already flashing with the promise of vengeance. She offered a weary smile.

"It wasn't worth mentioning."

"Wasn't worth-! Moria." He said, forcing his tone to be even. "Out of the lists I can come up with the shit he did to you, THAT is something worth mentioning to me."

"No it's not." She retorted, her voice cool. "It's in the past, and I can't do anything about it."

"What is it going take?" He finally snarled after a few silent minutes, his voice low and gravelly. She looked at him in confusion, moving away from him to observe that he wasn't angry at Malcolm now. He was angry at her. "What is it going to take for you to trust me?"

"I do." She hissed out.

"Apparently you don't trust me enough to tell me ANYTHING about your past!" He replied angrily. Moria stared at him.

"I doubt you want to listen to my past."

"What the hell do you know?! Maybe I want to know a little bit more about the girl I love other than the stuff I have to pull teeth to get!" He snapped. She flinched, and looked away. He frowned and then stormed away, leaving her standing there. She felt her eyes burn and she closed her eyes, forcing them away.

She could do nothing else.

* * *

"I don't get her!"

"Yes, as you've stated for the…eighth time in a row." Remus replied, rolling his eyes. "Merlin, is this what you do when you go to Prong's place?" He asked. "Why didn't you go there anyways?"

"Prongs would kill me." Sirius grumbled, though Remus looked less than convinced. Honestly, he knew there was another reason that he was avoiding Prongs. Lily would have maimed him the moment he stepped foot into the home, though whether it was because of hormones or general protectiveness of Moria, he wouldn't know. Sirius didn't offer a response, just glared at the kitchen counter. He exhaled loudly, running a hand through his hair. Something Moria would always do.

"It's just…we've been going out since we were sixteen. We're twenty now, and she knows more about me than I will ever know about her. I don't get it. Have I done something wrong to the point where she doesn't trust me to that point?"

"I don't think that's the case." Remus replied, frowning.

"Then what?"

"Sirius…did it ever occur to you that she may not have wanted to tell you her past for a reason?" Bryn suddenly asked. Sirius glanced at her. Bryn sighed, apparently gaining her answer. She shook her head and set Geoffrey down, ruffling his hair before he toddled off. Adult talk was rather boring for him anyways. Bryn then looked back at Sirius, pushing her hair behind her ear. She withdrew her wand and flicked it, summoning a matryoshka doll, something that one of Remus's neighbors had given to Geoffrey, to them. She silently pulled the doll apart until she got to last one.

"Let's say that this is Moria…" She explained, lifting the tiny one. "When she first started out. Untouched, unhurt…in a sense pure. Innocent. Like the way she was all the way till she was five." Bryn continued, placing the doll back in its holding place and covering it up with the second doll. Oddly enough, this doll had many cracks in its surface, almost as though it knew it was going to be used for this type of example. "This is her now. Not as innocent, not as untouched or unhurt as before. A bit wiser as well, and not as trusting when it comes to people. But…even though this is the woman all of us know, she has other walls that others have to climb to get to know her. But then again…with her past it isn't surprising."

"It isn't?" Sirius asked. Bryn looked at him with a slight amusement.

"She told me that she lived on the streets in Muggle London. In probably the worst part of London. If you don't put barriers up…so much could happen. A lot of bad things." She murmured absently, shaking her head. "Besides the fact, who did she have to turn to?" She asked. Sirius was silent. "No one, right?"

"She had Logan."

"A child probably…who was perhaps in no better position than she was." Bryn replied easily. "Other than him…who did she have?" She asked again. Sirius shifted uncomfortably. Bryn offered a mothering smile, but her eyes were cool, already knowing the answer. "An uncle who didn't care about her at all and surrounded by people who took his word over hers. So…the first barrier was built." She explained, covering the second doll with a third. "The next is one she may have developed by seeing Logan die."

"How do you know Logan's dead?"

"You used past tense when you answered my previous question." She answered. "Deductive reasoning." Remus smirked. "Anyway. It was probably just like seeing her parents die. In her mind, she probably had to keep everyone at an arm's distance so they wouldn't be killed because of her." She answered, before placing the fourth doll over the trio of wooden dolls. "This one she may have developed by accident when she lived with her paternal family."

"But they didn't-"

"They didn't do anything to her, yes. And even though they did heal her…I doubt it was enough. In all honesty, she should have seen a therapist."

"Why?" Sirius asked, his throat now suspiciously dry.

"There are probably a lot of things that she hasn't told them that someone who had professional training could have helped her understand and overcome. Likewise, what they did was probably a bit detrimental. Understandable…but detrimental."

"And that is?" Remus asked, seeing that Sirius probably wasn't going to ask.

"Can you imagine how painful and embarrassing it had to be? Here they trusted their brother to raise their niece of their late baby brother, this man's twin…and he betrayed that trust and hurt her. So they did the one thing they could think of. Band together and try to raise and heal her. And while I admire what they did, Moria isn't stupid. Her family hadn't lived together since they had been children. She had to have noticed that they all literally dropped everything from where they lived to come together and raise her. And then acting like nothing had happened…while it could have been helpful…it probably made her feel like those three years she fought to live through were nothing. So she pushed those angry feelings down, forcing them away, thus creating the fourth barrier." She stated, covering it with the fifth barrier. "And the final one, though not very large or as tough to break through as the other ones, is one she created for Hogwarts. Granted everyone builds a wall just to be safe when starting out at school. Normally it crumbles away when we make friends. But it's a bit harder when you've spent a majority of your life building walls. It's natural for her. She probably doesn't tell anyone because she feels like that is her struggle." Bryn stated. Sirius stared at her, before sighing.

"…How did you figure all this out?" Sirius asked

"Spending two years in a darkened cell can make someone incredibly wise. Or insane." She stated with a smirk. "Depends. In any case…I'm pretty sure she's not even aware that she's putting up barriers. It's become so engrained in her code that she doesn't realize that she's not alone and doesn't need to put barriers up."

"Still doesn't explain why she doesn't tell me anything at all. If I've managed to get through these…walls so to speak, shouldn't I at least know some?"

"…She might have wanted to kill herself on more than one occasion, Sirius." Bryn stated, and as she expected, he stiffened, his face paling considerably. "I doubt it's anything she's proud of, and I doubt she thinks like that now. But thinking through those memories…she can probably remember those moments when she felt like there was no other outlet. And she doesn't want to scare or worry you. She loves you. Immensely." Bryn explained. "Wouldn't you have been hesitant if you had those memories too and someone you cared about wanted to know them?"

Sirius was silent. Then, without saying goodbye, stood up and walked out of the room. Several minutes later they heard the door slam. Bryn blew out her breath.

"Dear Merlin…how the hell do you come up with being insightful for James and Sirius? It's _exhausting_." She complained. Remus chuckled and walked over to her, dragging her to him, resting his chin on her head.

"You alright?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" She asked, cocking her head to the side, to get a better angle to look at him.

"…No reason. I think that's the first time you've spoken harshly to him."

"That was harsh?" She asked, frowning.

"A lot harsher than how you normally deal with people."

"I guess when it comes to Moria and him…we have to be a bit harsh. Those two are so thickheaded." She stated. He laughed in agreement.

"I've never heard you sounding so wise. Where's the girl who would tackle us to the ground to get our attention?"

She smirked and turned, wrapping her arms around his waist. "She's a bit busy at the moment. Do you want me to take a message?"

He chuckled again, before claiming her mouth with his.

* * *

Sirius panted as he ran around another corner. She wasn't at home, and he sincerely doubted she was at the Potter household. Then where…

An idea struck him and he managed to find a public telephone booth. Using the remaining muggle money he had and working through his memory, remembered Madge's number.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi Madge…It's Sirius." He greeted, hesitant. What if Moria had gone there?

"_Oh Sirius!"_ Madge said cheerfully, which seemed to be a good sign. _"What can I help you with?"_

"I was…could you possibly tell me where Moria's parents are buried?" He asked in one breath. Silence greeted him, and then a static sound.

"_Why do you want to know that?"_ Was her question, and he could hear hesitance as well as a bit of defensiveness. He swallowed.

"I just want to…properly…meet them." He answered. It wasn't a complete lie. He did want to at least see their graves. And chances were, that if they was close by, Moria would be there. Silence once again greeted him.

"…_Give me a moment."_ Madge finally responded and he exhaled softly. After receiving the graveyard's address, which as he assumed wasn't far away he walked there. If she wasn't there, he would have no clue where she was. Granted he probably deserved that, he mused dryly as he turned and entered the graveyard. He shuddered, mentally checking to make sure he wasn't standing on some grave. He groaned inwardly. Fighting against an evil psychopath? Easy. Having a best friend that turned into a werewolf and going with him to help him out with his monthly transformations? Fun. Walking around a graveyard in broad daylight and almost standing on where he knew people were buried? Creepy.

"-that's what happened today."

He perked up at the voice. Moria. So she was here. Quietly he walked around another corner and found Moria sitting on the ground in front of two grave markers. He paused, remaining hidden by tombstone column. She sniffled loudly and he could see her brushing her hand across her face.

"I don't really blame him for being upset. I don't talk at all when it comes to my background." She laughed in a bitter tone. "It's honestly a wonder how anyone puts up with me." She murmured and he felt his heart plummet. "I'm cold to newcomers, I keep people I know at a distance, they'll tell me their secrets, but I don't tell them mine. A lot of people would have just given up. I sometimes wonder if in the end that's all that will happen with me. I'll be alone again…just like I always was as a kid."

Silence greeted her, and he wondered if he should leave, or that maybe she sensed him and was expecting him to turn around the corner.

"…But what am I supposed to do?" She finally continued. "My life when I was a kid was nothing compared to my friends. I mean just look at how our magic powers manifested. Lily's underage magic manifested where she was able to slow her descent through the air after jumping off swings, and control the petals of a flower, Alice summoned her toys to her, James made things blow up, Remus shrunk his clothes by accident, and Sirius made his mother's hair turn orange for a month. Me? My magic used itself to mend the wounds that I would get after a beating while I slept or was unconscious, just so I would survive the next day. The balance is really different." She sighed. Sirius swallowed roughly as silence permeated the area again.

"…I want to tell him. So much. But…how can I?" She finally whispered. "How can I tell him all the times I witnessed fights that got ugly? All the times I saw death, or walking down the street and having to avoid blood? All the times that I thought I was going to die?" She trailed off, before starting again. "All the times that when he was probably running around chasing his brother, I was thinking about just ending it all?"

Sirius felt his legs go weak, and it took all his energy to not slide down to the ground. How was it, that Bryn had managed to hit it spot on? How? He heard her sigh, and it sounded chocked and broken.

"God. I'm such a screw up." She murmured. "One of these days Sirius is just going to give up on me-"

"I doubt it."

She looked up and stood at the same time, taking a few steps back and her hand going to her wand when he finally stepped out. Her eyes widened for a brief moment before glancing down. He was silent, observing her. Her eyes were red, bloodshot. She had been crying…probably the moment she got here. He glanced away and shifted before clearing his throat, forcefully dislodging and pushing down the lump that had grown in his throat.

"Did you really think I would run the moment I learned anything? Do you think that poorly of me?"

"It's not you that I think poorly of." She replied after a moment of tense silence. "I'm the one who has such a screwed up background…I doubt anyone could love-"

The rest of her response was cut off as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her tightly as to make sure she didn't try to escape. She made no attempt to.

"Stop. Just stop." He hissed out desperately. She felt her eyes burn again as he moved, cupping her face with his hands. And the tears that she had desperately tried to push back fell like weights down her face. "Everything about you I love. All your faults, your imperfections, every scar. Everything." He murmured. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to understand them." He continued. "I want to understand. I want to help. So please…stop thinking like that." He told her. She made a soft sound in the back of her throat, shutting her eyes as he pressed a kiss onto her forehead. He then looked towards where the tombstones sat; silent witnesses to what had just happened.

"…I know I'm probably the last person you would expect her to be with." He murmured. Moria looked at him and saw that he was not addressing her. She blinked in realization. He was addressing her parents.

"I'm arrogant, a troublemaker, reckless, immature, and even downright irresponsible at times. Probably the opposite of what you wanted your daughter to sleep with." He continued. She looked at him pointedly. She almost voiced that she doubted her father would want someone who was all prim and proper to be her boyfriend, and furthermore she didn't know if alluding to the fact that they slept together was really appropriate.

"But I love her. And I intend to keep her safe for as long as I can. That's something we both agree on." He added. She felt her face at this point become warm as heat slid up. He turned to her and offered her that grin that he always gave her when he was in trouble. A sheepish grin that looked like a dog had been scolded. She offered a weary laugh, before resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're insufferable."

"Yeah, but you love me anyways."

"Yes. Yes I do."

**BRYN IS RATHER INSIGHTFUL WHEN SHE NEEDS TO BE. AND A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON MORIA. SO…WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK OF THE STORY SO FAR? GOOD? BAD? DO YOU THINK I NEED TO ADD ANYTHING? READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!**


	11. NEW HOPE IS BORN

Moria stretched as she returned to the dressing room, intent on changing out of her Healer uniform. She was exhausted. Absolutely exhausted. Due to there being a sudden influx of injured witches and wizards being sent to Mungo's, her shift was incredibly long and tedious. She was glad to be heading home right then. Just as she was about to open her locker, Chelsea stopped her. The moment she glanced at the other woman, Moria groaned.

"But I'm just off my shift."

"It's just one person. None of us can get to her at this moment and she's insistent on being treated right now."

"Who is she?"

"I don't know." Chelsea responded, shrugging. "The Head Healer is the one who told me to go get you before you left."

Moria groaned again before nodding pulling her sleeve back on.

"Just this one person." She retorted coolly. Chelsea nodded before handing the folder. Moria rolled her eyes and glancing at the room number. She walked over to the room quickly, opening the door, still looking down opening the file. She looked up and froze as she connected with sharp ice blue eyes, greyed hair. Inwardly she groaned as the glare sharpened and the woman looked at her with so much indignation that it stifled the busy atmosphere mere inches behind Moria.

Walburga Black stared at her, almost analyzing as to where she had seen Moria before. Moria in turn just stared at her boyfriend's estranged mother, one who had recently lost her youngest son and husband. Walburga's eyes narrowed.

Oh this was _bound_ to be fun.

* * *

Lily stood up again, heading to the bathroom, causing James and Sirius to chuckle.

"That's the fifth time in the hour."

"Well excuse me, your son using my bladder as a football." Lily yelled out from the bathroom, causing James laughed loudly this time. Sirius chuckled, taking a gulp of his water, before glancing at his friend.

"So, how is the dad to be?" Sirius asked with a bright grin. James offered a grin.

"Excited, nervous, happy…a lot of stuff."

"You'll make an excellent dad Prongs." Sirius replied. "Count on it."

"Well you'll make an excellent godfather." James interjected. Sirius shrugged, leaning against the island, a grin spreading on his face.

"As long as Moria's there to keep me in line." He stated nonchalantly. James chuckled, almost in agreement. While Moria would tolerate pranks and things, even the amount of stuff that would probably occur prank wise when the youngest Potter would get older, she did have a line that she wouldn't allow anyone to cross. That had been proof enough when Sirius had told her what had happened during their fifth year between him, Snape and Remus and she had smacked him hard on the back of the head hard enough for him to see stars and had a headache for several hours which Moria had refused to heal as well as refusing to give him a potion. James grinned and then looked at Sirius thoughtfully.

"So have you asked her yet?"

Sirius was silent, but his face grew red and he glanced towards the counter, suddenly interested in its surface. Apparently that was a no. James groaned lightly, glaring at his best friend.

"Merlin, you sure are procrastinating on this, aren't you?"

"Oi!" Sirius snapped. "Sorry if all of us aren't as quick when it comes to asking."

"Hey, don't blame me." James retorted with a grin. "I would have thought that you would have asked her earlier, if just to beat me at something."

"You do realize that if Lily or Moria get wind of that comment we'll both be sleeping on the sofa, right?" Sirius asked, an eyebrow rising as the front door opened and closed. He didn't think too much of it as Moria was due to be returning home. Lily apparently having finished with the loo walked out and the men could hear the redhead greeting her friend.

"Hey Moria, how was wo-! What happened to your face?" The sudden change in pitch, the friendliness shifting into panicked confusion, had both men looking up, Sirius's brow furrowing as they walked out, glancing into the parlor.

"Work was fine. And it's nothing bad." Moria stated walked out of the shadow, rubbing the side of her face. Sirius stiffened as the kitchen light finally illuminated what the dim dusk shadows of the entrance hallway had not.

Five clawed marks had been carved from the base of Moria's ear and just under her right eye all the way down her cheek, inflamed, almost angry looking in the harsh lighting. It had scabbed over a bit, though he could see that it had bled slightly before it had been healed, and the smallest scratch, which had probably belonged to the thumb, was nearly faded. But still, there it was, someone had clawed Moria.

Someone had _hit_ Moria.

"Bloody hell, what happened?" Sirius asked, walking quickly over to Moria and angling her face into the light. She rolled her eyes, immediately regretting this as a small wave a pain throbbed through her cheek. She gave a pointed glare at Sirius, though it was more of an amused look mixed with an annoyed one.

"Your mother saying hello." She remarked dryly. Sirius's hand froze on her cheek, a look of surprise sliding into his eyes.

"My mother did _this_?" He asked incredulously. Moria sighed tiredly.

"She wasn't exactly the happiest of women when she found out a half-blood was going to be performing the examination. But she was…compliant…for the most part. Midway through, however, she remembered who I was, shit hit the fan right then." She explained, pressing her fingertips to her cheek and gave him an amused smile. "I thought you were kidding when you told us she screamed like a banshee."

Sirius was just staring at her, shock written on his face. James noticing this, looped his arm around Lily's waist, guiding her back to the kitchen, allowing the other couple some alone time. Moria seemed to notice, though Sirius was oblivious. Gently he ran his thumb over the scratches.

"What else did she do?" He asked. She looked at him. "I know my mother, she wouldn't just scratch you."

"Sirius, it's alright. The scratches were sort of my fault anyways. Really should have been paying attention."

"What did she say?"

"Oh the usual. How dare I walk her presence, that I sleep with her bastard son, that you should have keeled over by now, I'm a blood traitor's whore, daughter of a mudblood…" Moria remarked, cocking her head to the side. "Etc., etc. You have a way of pissing people off, don't you?" She commented. He let out a low breath and a curse intertwined. She chuckled and forced him to look at her, giving him an even smile.

"Don't worry about it, alright?" She replied. "They were just words. Words I've heard multiple times when I fight against Deatheaters. It's not the worst that's happened to me."

"But the scratches-"

"Are just scratches. I honestly think she's losing her mind at this point."

"Like she hadn't lost it before?"

"You know what I mean. Losing her youngest son and husband the same year? I think her mind is unraveling. Honestly the way she was acting before she remembered I was involved with you should have had me on edge. She seemed…I don't know…jittery. Like a caged animal. It was pretty clear she wasn't exactly happy being there during one of the busier days."

"Pity." He remarked coolly. "Still didn't mean she should have hit you."

"I know that…but all things considered, it could have been worse."

"How could it have been worse?"

"She could have used her wand on me." She placated. He was silent and though she spotted him relaxing a bit, it didn't make the anger vanish completely. So she gripped his face and kissed him softly, him immediately returning the kiss with fervor.

"Don't worry about it, okay?" She murmured against his mouth after a minute. "I'm perfectly fine. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." He let out a low breath, before she felt him nod. She smiled, pecking his lips again. "Now I'm going to go find that stupid healing potion so that way you don't panic every time you see my lovely face."

"You had a healing potion here all this time?" He asked, amused. "Why was it, every time I was hurt, you healed me yourself?"

She offered a bright smile and a laugh. "Who knows, maybe I just can't keep my hands off of you." He emitted a bark-like laugh and pulled her to him, kissing her again.

* * *

There was screaming. She remembered that. The green glow of curses being thrown all over the place, the echoes of fighting bouncing off of the walls. She remembered that too. What she didn't remember was being hit. The last thing she remembered was her world growing white in an instant and then darkness blanketed her vision.

"_Moria."_

She flinched at the name, her eyelids fluttering as she tried to figure out who had called her.

"_Moria."_

The caller was more urgent now. It was male, she realized, and panicked. She opened her eyes an inch, closing them, before forcing them open. She stared above her and saw several figures in her vision. She stiffened, trying to summon any strength left to find her wand. A hand gripped her wrist in a gentle fashion.

"Moria? Moria, it's us." The voice repeated, and she blinked rapidly to clear her vision. Finally the shapes began to sharpen and clarify, revealing three men that she knew well. Remus, James, and Sirius. They all looked relieved; however Sirius seemed to have a mixture of panic and relief across his features. She offered a grin, though it was weak and probably butchered as she tried to sit up. Sirius helped her up, his features not softening a moment. There was still panic, granted she couldn't blame him.

"…alright so what did I get hit with? Stunning or Punching Hex?" She grumbled, rubbing her throbbing head, wincing as pain traveled through her skull.

"Why does it matter?" Sirius asked roughly. Moria shot him a pointed look.

"So I can know if it was the spell or my skull hitting a wall that is causing me to feel like I was used a gong." She retorted dryly and immediately regretted it as he felt him straighten, his expression darken. She glanced at James and Remus, and for once James actually took the hint, nudging Remus away. She looked at Sirius, her expression light.

"Sirius, I'm fine."

"You are going to give me a heart attack one of these days." He remarked dryly, pulling her to him. It was like a broken record. Green spells flying, Moria being thrown, her slamming into the wall and crumpling to the ground in a heap. She had been so still and for a few brief, terrifying seconds, he had believed that she had been hit with the killing curse.

"Sorry." She responded softly, apparently too exhausted to argue. "I'll try to prevent that."

"…I should have had your back."

"You had James's back. That was good enough."

"But-"

"If we had come back without James, Lily would have murdered the both of us. And she could have pleaded momentary insanity due to hormones. No sane woman in Wizengamot would try her for that." Moria remarked, offering a smile. "But like I said, other than a headache, I'm fine."

"…I thought you were dead." He finally commented, his grip on her tightening. She angled her head to observe him. "I saw that green light just a few seconds before that, then you crashed into that wall, and didn't try to move when you fell to the ground…" He trailed off. She sighed, settling a bit further into his grip, before gripping his hand.

"It didn't though." She replied, her voice soft. He glanced at her, and she felt him relax a bit. She closed her eyes and offered a soft chuckle. "So…James and Lily figure out any names?"

"Harry. Harry James Potter." He replied, thankful for the change in topic.

She looked at him, an eyebrow rising as she smiled. "Harry?" she asked. "Interesting."

"Does it sound bad?"

"No. Just interesting. Simple." She remarked a smile on her face. "I think it's nice."

"Figures James would have his son have his name as the middle name." Sirius remarked, finally relaxing. She laughed.

"It seems to be a common theme for the Wizarding world, Sirius Orion Black." She teased. He made a rumbling sound in the back of his throat, intertwining his hand with hers, and the pair sat there, observing the scene around them.

* * *

Moria was reading a book sitting on the sofa when she heard a noise. Glancing up she saw Sirius come in, a tired look on his face. With a groan he sat on the sofa, sliding down to where his head was lying on Moria's lap. She lifted her book and looked at him.

"Hello." She greeted and he responded with a grunt. "Rough day?" She asked, chuckling softly

"Oh you have no idea. Three fights in ten minutes. I swear, I love Quidditch, but not when I'm one of the ones that have to do crowd control for a match."

"Well, think of it this way. I'll end being stuck with the drunks who thought they were God and ended up injuring themselves or the belligerent drunks who think they're the next sex god."

"No offense, I hope you get the former of those two options." He murmured his eyes opening slightly. "Especially with what happened last time." He added. She smirked. Last time had been a memorable bar fight. Sirius had dragged a raging drunk to Mungo's who had a broken nose, a black eye and had originally been retching on Sirius's shoes, much to his displeasure. The poor bloke didn't really fare much better in the hospital. He seemed to fancy brunettes. Unluckily for him, the moment he had smacked Moria in the rump with one hand and groped her with the other, had been the exact time Sirius had just passed by, about to say goodbye to Moria. Needless to say, the poor bastard had ended up with another black eye, and this one none of the healers even touched. She laughed at the memory, setting her book down onto the table next to her before kneading her fingers through his hair. As always he growled appreciatively and she could feel him relaxing even more.

"Heh. You are such a dog."

"Your point?" He responded. Seconds later they saw a silvery form of a stag enter the room and Moria heard Sirius groan. It wasn't like he didn't mind James…but he was already exhausted. She laughed softly as Sirius sat up, clearly annoyed. But their mood changed in an instant as the patronus began to speak.

"_Get here as soon as you can…Lily and I are going to have to go into hiding._

_**Voldemort is after my son."**_

* * *

Moria and Sirius arrived at Lily and James's home within seconds of the Patronus disappearing.

"Prongs! Are you two okay?!" Sirius asked, not even waiting to knock on the door. Moria didn't even retort a comment about how rude it was. James looked up from the sofa of the living room, offering a weary smile, before it slowly fell back into a frown.

"Where is she?" Moria asked and James numbly pointed towards the bedroom. Moria glanced at James before going to the bedroom. Sirius stared at James in shock.

"What do you meant that…that bastard is after your kid? Lily hasn't even given birth yet." Sirius asked.

"Dumbledore told us…"

"But why?!" Sirius hissed out. James swallowed.

"I can't give you the specifics yet. But I can tell you this…it has to do with a baby that is born in July by parents that defied Voldemort three times. That would mean it was either us or Alice and Frank. And Dumbledore thinks he's narrowed his target to us." James explained, his throat closing towards the last part and he swallowed roughly again.

"Flitwick is coming to teach Lily how to do the Fidelius charm. But we need a secret keeper." James said before looking straight at Sirius.

"And we were wondering…if you would be it."

* * *

Moria knocked on the door, though she would have considered it pointless as she was already opening it. Lily was sitting on the bed her arms wrapped around her waist protectively.

"Lily…"

"My baby…my little baby. He doesn't deserve this." Lily whimpered, looking up at her friend. Without a seconds thought, Moria went over to Lily and drew her friend to her. Lily then broke down into tears, sobbing openly into Moria's jacket.

"We'll stop him Lily. I promise you." She said and ran her hand over Lily's head, trying to comfort her. Lily sniffled.

"Professor Flitwick is coming to teach me how to do the Fidelius charm. We're already asking-!"

"Don't. Don't tell me who your Secret Keeper is going to be." Moria said and Lily looked up Moria in confusion.

"You know me. I'm always getting into trouble. If I have a run in with Deatheaters…they'll be bound to think that I know who the Secret Keeper will be. And they'll try anything to get me to talk. It's better that I don't know." She explained. Lily was silent, before nodding. "In any case, it looks like I'll be your midwife." Moria stated and Lily looked at her, her eyes owlish.

"Lily…going to Mungo's would endanger both your lives. Especially now that they'll be after the baby. Chelsea and I will help with the delivery. Okay?" Moria asked and Lily swallowed before nodding again.

"Everything will be okay. I promise Lily."

_I promise._

* * *

Moria sighed as she brushed her hair back. It had been nearly a month since the declaration of Lily and James being forced into hiding. Now they could only leave either by floo, or apparate…which she wasn't exactly sure was the best thing for a pregnant woman to do. Currently she, Lily, Alice, Chelsea, and Bryn were at Chelsea's family home. Chelsea glared at her as she sat down in the chair adjacent to Moria's.

"You know you could be helpful."

"And do what?" Moria asked, an eyebrow rising. "We have all the necessary stuff to get ready for Lily and maybe even Alice to give birth. What else am I supposed to do?"

"Oh, I don't know…entertain your friends. Lily's been a zombie and Alice has been a worrywart since they got here."

"Lily found out a month ago that her unborn son is being hunted down by a madman that wants everyone who defies him dead, and Alice knows that it could have been her child. What the hell are you expecting?" Moria shot back and Chelsea flinched.

"I know, I know. But this stress isn't healthy for either of them. Especially with them nearing their due dates." Chelsea said.

"I know…but I can't magically take the stress away from them." Moria replied blandly. Suddenly they heard a crash and both looked up as they heard Lily yelp in surprise. They both withdrew their wands and rushed downstairs.

"Alice! Alice what's wrong?!" They heard Lily call out and skidded around the corner to see Alice leaning against the kitchen counter, gripping her stomach, Bryn and Lily trying to support her. Geoffrey looked confused from his seat, his head angled to the side.

"Alice what's wr-" Moria began to say but nearly fell as she slid on something. She looked down to see a puddle.

"Oh…OH! NOW?!" Moria said looking up at Alice who nodded rapidly her grip tightening on the kitchen counter. Moria and Chelsea quickly went into healer mode and both took positions on either side of the woman, supporting her back.

"Okay. Let's get you to one of the spare bedrooms." Moria said and with that they slowly managed to get Alice to a bedroom they had made for delivering.

"Glad we made more than one."

"Yup. Being prepared always makes life easier."

"If you even say 'constant vigilance' I'm hexing you." Moria remarked dryly. "We hear that enough from Moody."

"I was more going for the 'always prepared' ideal. Besides if you hex me, you'll have to deliver the baby yourself." Chelsea stated as they helped Alice into the bed, Moria grumbling. Bryn entered a few seconds later, Lily waddling behind her as Chelsea checked Alice's dilation.

"Uh oh."

"What do you MEAN uh oh!?" Alice shrieked.

"I mean that your baby is coming a hell of a lot quicker than normal first time mothers. You're already in active labor." Chelsea observed. Alice's eyes shrunk in shock, then she looked at Moria.

"Frank-"

"I'll go get him." Lily said and Moria gave her a look.

"You're just as pregnant as she is Lil. You aren't going out right now."

"But-!"

"I'll go." Bryn interrupted. "Just tell me where to find him."

"He's…he's out with the other guys. I think at one of the pubs in Diagon Alley." Alice remarked and Bryn nodded before rushing out, being careful to avoid the puddle that was still on the ground. She would clean it up later. Now she needed to find Frank.

"Come on Geoffrey." She added, picking up her son. Holding him she left the house and took off down the street.

"Well Alice. Ready to be a mum at..." Moria checked the clock "Around 7 o'clock at night?" she asked. Alice nodded, her eyes bright.

"Have to say…for a first time Mum, Alice is sure going into a really fast labor." Chelsea stated offhand. Moria rolled her eyes.

"I'm not sure if that's really a bad-"

"Oh-oh." They soon after heard Lily say and both the healers looked up in confusion.

"Lily? What's-" Moria began to say but trailed off when she saw Lily gripping the door frame with one hand, holding her stomach with the other.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me."

* * *

"So…you two are almost dads? How do you feel?"

"Personally? Bloody terrified." James said and Frank nodded. Sirius smirked.

"I can see that. But don't worry. You two will make awesome dads." Sirius said with a shrug. Both men blushed slightly, and were about to retort when Remus blinked then stared through the window.

"Bryn?" he said, mostly to himself but caused everyone to look. They saw Bryn rushing around looking around, Geoffrey clutching her blouse. Remus got up quickly and hurried out of the pub, followed by the others who quickly walked (more like ran) to Bryn.

"Bryn! What's wrong?! What-" Remus began to ask.

"ALICE! BABY! LABOR! NOW!" Bryn panted. It took the men several seconds to try and decipher the message. Frank than turned a sickly white color.

* * *

Chelsea looked up when they heard the door open then close quickly, followed by the door opening again and more footsteps rushing in.

"Alice! Love!?" They heard Frank call out.

"Upstairs." Chelsea said and they heard footsteps rushing the steps. Frank was the first to enter and immediately went to Alice's side who smiled weakly at him.

"Hey…it's time." She said weakly. Frank smiled.

"Hey. Where's Lily?" James asked as he entered and Chelsea heard Alice growl slightly at James, before suddenly gripping Frank's hand as another contraction hit. Chelsea glared at James. She really didn't need James in here as Alice began the start of the second stage of labor.

"The room next door."

"Why?" James asked dumbfounded.

"Because you idiotic git, she's gone into labor too."

"…WHAT?!"

* * *

"You and Alice just had to go into labor around the same time." Moria scolded teasingly. Lily offered a smile but winced.

"At least Alice's should be over soon. I still have a long way to go." Lily stated. Moria smiled.

"You're going to be a Mum, Lily."

"Heh. I know. It's a-"

"Lily?!" They heard and looked to see James rushing into the room.

"Hey." Lily said simply. James automatically went to his wife's side.

"Lily! Lily, are you okay?! Do you need anything?"

"James-"

"Are you hungry?"

"James-"

"Thirsty?"

"James-"

"Someone to beat up?"

"For the love of Merlin James, SHUT THE BLOODY HELL UP!" Lily yelled out. Moria inwardly groaned. This…was going to be a long and painful labor.

* * *

The five or six hours turned out to be little over seven and another one of pushing so far, which in comparison to other first pregnancies was a short labor. But it felt like days for Lily, weeks maybe–amazing how time passed so slowly when one prayed for it to pass as fast as possible. She had no clue how Alice had managed to do it so quickly and had given birth to a 5 pounds 8 ounces and 18 inch baby boy, perfectly healthy. She wanted James in there now, but Chelsea had kicked him out, just as she had done with Frank early on, but Frank had gone back in after the birth was complete. Dimly she could see in the light under the bedroom door disappearing and reappearing. He was pacing right outside, like a guard on duty.

"_Her knight in shining armor."_ She thought weakly, before screwing her face in pain. Sweat and tears covered her face as she breathed erratically before the pain ripped through her again. She was so tired, exhausted. She pushed once more and, seconds later, she felt herself her back hitting the pillows again. She clenched her teeth. Emotions flood deep inside her like they were forming a whirlpool. Part of her wanted to beat James up to a bloody pulp for getting her pregnant, for making her need to go through that, while the other wanted to kiss him and declare her love for him just for being there – and it confused the hell out of her.

"She's exhausted," she heard Chelsea saying worriedly. Her voice seemed incredibly distant right now – like he was in the opposite side of a very large room. The voices seemed to blur and soften down to a murmur as the sudden instinct to push overfilled her senses. Instinctively she bore down and tried to breathe. She could hear now the sudden calling out from Moria that sounded reminiscent of 'that's good. You're doing real well!' Pain came again, and the urge came once more and she started to push again. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the blanket that she was lying on. She'd had no idealistic fantasies about the process of childbirth, but like so many women before her, she had hoped that it wouldn't be as bad as she heard.

And like all the women before her, she was wrong.

Another scream erupted as she bore down again. She could feel pain, excruciating pain. She didn't know if she was crying or that was sweat sliding down her face. She didn't really care right then.

She had read dozens of books about pregnancy, and a few on the actual delivery of a child. Even so, the pain was unimaginable. Whoever had written those books HAD to have been a bloke…because no sane person would describe the way labor actually felt if they had gone through it. . Bryn had been right. The pain was indescribable. Words were indescribable. Another push and she heard the Moria state the baby's head was out. She pushed again as hard as she could, praying that she could deliver the baby quickly. After another push, the baby's shoulders were out, and, despite her exhaustion, she put all of her strength into one final push. She screamed again, but the sound didn't register in her pain and worry filled mind.

What if the baby was hurt, because of something she had done?

What if he hated her?

What if Voldemort won and claimed his young life?

No. She wouldn't let that happen. She couldn't-

Slowly the sound of her own scream died out, and she flopped backwards onto the pillows breathing heavily. The ringing in her ears slowly died out, and the ringing was replaced by another sound…a sound that erased any signs of her exhaustion from the forefront of her mind, nearly passing out in relief when she heard the outraged squall from the newborn.

The world became less blurred and she blinked until she could see Moria approaching her, holding a blanket-wrapped crying bundle that was squirming around angrily. Moria herself was smiling brightly, and her eyes seemed to be slightly glassed over.

"It seems you have a healthy baby boy here," She explained. "Nineteen and a half inches and seven pounds."

And suddenly, the months of odd food cravings, the hours of backaches, the emotional outbursts, the labor, all seemed meaningless as she was handed her son, cradling him to her chest.

He was wrinkled and red, his eyes clamped shut as he screamed at the top of his lungs, loudly protesting at entering this cold world in exchange for leaving the warm safe one he had grown in. His dark hair was matter firmly on top of his scalp. She felt tears—not of pain—slide down her cheeks as she smiled at him.

"Hello Harry …hello my son." She whispered, kissing his temple softly, as she grazed his tiny fist with her index finger. Her soft hushing softened his cries, and he slowly blinked, opening his eyes just a crack, and staring at her, most likely not seeing her, but the thought that he knew who she was enlightened her. She continued to stare at him, oblivious to Moria who cleaned her, then excused herself. She opened the door and gave a tired nod to James, who rushed past her. Moria glanced at them and then smiled, closing the door and allowing her and James some alone time with their son, neither parent paying her any heed that they had heard her as they looked at her. Their son. Harry had finally quieted down, staring at his mother, whimpering softly as she continued to stroke his cheek. Delicately she kissed his forehead.

"_Poor little thing." _ Lily thought, cradling the baby closer. She assumed it must be a shock leaving the little warm world he'd lived in for the past nine months and enter such a big and cold one. With a smile, Lily looked at James, who seemed completely awestruck.

"Merlin, I…" he wasn't able to finish, completely speechless. "I really don't know what to say. I think I got brain-freeze."

"'Hi' would be a good way to start," Lily told to him, with a smile on her face.

James sat on the edge of the bed by her side. He looked down at their newborn son, using his finger to touch the baby's tiny fist. "Hi, there, little guy," he whispered with a wide smile on his face. "I'm your dad."

The baby grasped his finger, making Lily smile and place another kiss on his forehead before turning to her husband. "James…he's here. Our Harry is here."

"I know…blimey, he's handsome."

"He has your hair." She remarked softly.

"I know…poor thing."

She chuckled softly. "Do you want to hold him?"

He looked unsure. "He looks so fragile…"

Lily shook her head. "He's not. You'll do okay. Get your arms ready," she told him before, very carefully, passing him the newborn boy.

James moved stiffly at first but, after a few seconds holding his son, he realized Lily was right, the boy was not as fragile as he'd imagined. He got up and paced around the room with Harry in his arms. The feeling of holding his newborn child was certainly one the best experiences he had had in his life. He prayed that this wouldn't be the only time. If they only survived long enough…He shook his head to clear his mind of that and looked up at Lily with a grin. "You know I love you, don't you?"

"I think I have a little idea," Lily replied, smiling back. "Go on…go show him off to Sirius, Remus, and Peter. I know you want to. Just come back."

"Always, Love."

* * *

The sun had just started to peak out above the horizon when Sirius and Moria returned home, it was getting lighter outside, and a few birds were singing, greeting the morning sun that would make its way above the London rooftops in no time. Though Sirius was exhausted, Moria was barely awake, held tightly by Sirius so she would splinch herself. He glanced at her with a soft smile.

He had never seen her in full on Healer-mode. Partial healer mode? Of course; especially when it came to him and the rest of the Marauders. But full on was rare whenever she was at home. But he had watched her walking quickly back and forth between both rooms as Chelsea hollered out instructions for Lily and she would explain to Chelsea why or using that spell should or shouldn't be used. She had barely said anything snarky or in humor during that time. It was rather amazing to watch. She shifted again, one hand tiredly gripping his shirt.

"We're back, Love." He whispered softly, kissing her forehead. She murmured a reply, though he couldn't understand what she said, nuzzling his shoulder tiredly. He chuckled

"You're exhausted."

"Gee…wonder why…could it be the fact that I helped deliver two babies into this world?" Moria asked, sleep evident in her voice.

"And you did a wonderful job." He commented setting her on the bed. She smiled, sleepily, stretching and trying to cover a yawn.

"Was that a compliment Mr. Black?" She murmured in question, her eyes half open. He smiled, kissing her forehead gently.

"Yes it was." He remarked soothingly, turning to stretch and to pull off his shirt. "Let's go to bed, Ms. Prescott." He added before noticing she had fallen onto her side, already asleep. He smiled gently and then slowly pulled her arms out of the sleeves of her jacket, before gently pulling off her shoes. She made no comment and no protest as he moved her into a more comfortable position on the bed. He sat there for a few brief moments, watching her sleep. One of the few times that she looked so innocent, as though nothing in her life that had hurt her actually happened.

"I love you, Moria." He murmured, kissing her cheek before lying down next to her, and like her, fell into a deep sleep.

**SO WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK? I EDITED THE LABOR PART, USING MY FALLEN TIME LABOR PART AS A TEMPLATE...SINCE I HAVE NEVER BEEN PREGNANT BEFORE, OR EVER MET ANYONE...SO I HAD TO USE OTHER EXAMPLES TO MAKE SURE THIS SOUND ACTUALLY ACCURATE. HOPE IT WORKS.**

**IN ANY CASE, READ AND REVIEW PLEASE :) I LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ON IT. AND DO YOU GUYS WANT TO HAVE ANYTHING ADDED?**


	12. LULLABIES AND QUESTS

**READ AND REVIEW!**

Sirius and Moria knocked lightly on the door of Godric's Hollow being sure to make sure no one was following them to visit the new family. To them it didn't really matter if they searched around. No one could see the house. Minutes later James answered the door. Bags were evident under his eyes and he looked like he hadn't slept in a good day.

"Uh…hi?"

"Hi…Sorry Harry's been crying all day." James said trying to stifle a yawn but ultimately failing.

"Really?" Moria asked.

"Yeah. We've bathed him, fed him, tried to get him to take a nap, but nothing seems to be working."

"Have you tried singing to him?" Sirius joked and James grimaced.

"We tried…but I sound like I've swallowed marbles and Lily sounds like a banshee. It just made him cry harder." James said. Seconds later Lily had come down the stairs looking just as tired as James. Harry was in her arms, wailing loudly, wrapped in the quilt Lily had made during the pregnancy. Sirius flinched slightly. Moria sighed before outstretching her arms.

"I'll try to sing to him." She said.

"But-"

"Do you want to have a chance to relax?" Moria asked. Lily and James looked at each other before Lily handed the squirming, shrieking infant to her. The change in arms obviously upset him even more as he began to cry louder. With that, Moria scooted away slightly from the group of adults, rocking Harry slightly. She began to hum which quieted Harry slightly. He looked up at him and to her surprise saw his eyes had already started to change to a green color.

"_So…he'll have Lily's eyes."_ She thought pleasantly before beginning to sing.

"_**Dancing bears,  
Painted wings  
Things I almost remember  
And a song someone sings  
Once upon a December"**_

Sirius stared at her. He had heard her hum softly herself, maybe sing a few lyrics of a song, but in all honesty hadn't known she knew any lullabies. Harry whimpered again but Moria offered him her index finger which his hand grasped.

"_**Someone holds me safe and warm  
Horses prance through a silver storm  
Figures dancing gracefully  
Across my memory..."**_

Harry slowly quieted, to his parent's amazement, however his eyes still shone brightly with readied tears, prepared to start crying again.

"_**Far away, long ago  
Glowing dim as an ember,  
Things my heart used to know,  
Once upon a December"**_

Harry yawned, the three days of nearly nonstop crying and 30 minute nap intervals finally catching up to him.

"_**Someone holds me safe and warm  
Horses prance through a silver storm  
Figures dancing gracefully  
Across my memory..."**_

Harry's eyes slowly closed and his breathing relaxed. Moria smiled.

"**And a song someone sings  
Once upon a December."**

She finished and looked up at the three shocked adults.

"What?"

"You…you managed to get him to sleep." Lily answered a twinge of jealousy in her voice. Moria blinked in confusion and then her brows furrowed.

"Really, it was just luck. He was about to fall asleep." Moria explained, a small smile on her face. "He's given up his fight to stay awake and make your lives hard." She joked. "My aunt and uncles told me that the same happen to my parents and me. But Harry wasn't as long as me. I lasted two weeks." Moria added with a soft smile on her face handed Harry back to Lily. The sleeping baby merely shifted, but didn't awaken

"He's adorable Lily." Moria stated and Lily's face was a soft red hue and a small smile was plastered on her face.

"He looks like you Prongs." Sirius added, glancing at the infant. "Poor thing."

"Oi."

"Not quite. He has a redeeming quality. He has Lily's eyes." Moria joked and Sirius chuckled. He glanced at her, noting how soft her face was…and he realized how much she loved children. He also realized another thing that he needed to do.

And that was to get her to marry him.

* * *

Sirius and James watched as Moria and Lily spoiled the now awake (and generally happier) Harry.

"When are you going to propose to Moria, Padfoot?" James asked looking at Sirius with an all knowing smirk. Sirius's face turned red.

"Soon."

"Really?" James asked, incredulous. Sirius offered him a glare.

"Why does that sound so shocking?"

"Well it's been about four years since you and her started dated. And if we compare her to Alice and Lily who were married after about a year of dating, you're about three years late. Like I said a few weeks ago. You're slow." James joked. Sirius grumbled.

"But yes…I'll be asking her to marry me soon." Sirius said. When he had no clue. But he would soon.

Soon.

* * *

Moria glanced around as a sudden uneasiness filtered into her system. She didn't understand why, though. She was at Mungo's. Lily was at her home. James and Sirius were on a mission. Maybe that was why she was nervous. But Sirius had gone on missions before, so why…

"_**INCOMING!"**_ A voice boomed over the speaker directly overhead her, causing her to jump and nearly drop all the files she had been carrying. She hated that damn speaker thing. All a head healer had to do was press their wand to their throat and their voice would travel throughout the hospital. While it was useful, she hated that damn thing with a-

When the figures emerged from the floo, they were carrying a man that was barely conscious, leaning heavily on his partner, blood staining the tiled floor. Moria at first just stared dumbly as several other healers rushed over, grabbing the unconscious man and hoisted him onto a stretcher. He was staring through barely opened eyes, his blood staining the pillow. This time she made no effort to catch the folders that dropped from her hands, falling to the ground with a clatter as her eyes widened and her heart shot to her throat as her gaze shifted to the man standing there, almost comically, drenched in blood. He looked like he was about to follow his partner.

"Sirius?" She murmured as she saw his face, streaked in blood. He offered a weary smile, before he began to tip forward, his legs finally giving out. She barely managed to catch him, and just started yelling his name. His vision darkened, and the last image he caught was of Moria, her eyes wide in fear.

* * *

He was slow to awaken. His body was in pain, and he felt like he had been thrown into a wall. Which he had…several times. Slowly he blinked awake, shifting his head to try and remove the throbbing sensation.

"You're an idiot, you know that? A hypocritical idiot."

He forced his head to rise and blinked at Chelsea, who looked more annoyed than relieved of his awakening. He forced back a chuckle, not wanting to earn a smack to the head. She glared at him.

"What were you trying to do? Give Moria a heart attack for what happened a few months ago?" She hissed out. Sirius frowned, forcing himself to sit up.

"It wasn't like I planned on being ambushed." He argued. "…what about Benson?"

"He's still in recovery. It will be touch and go for a little while, but he should pull through." Chelsea responded, before pointing to his left. "She, however, has been a nervous wreck since you got here. Though she hasn't been showing it."

Sirius glanced to his left and spotted Moria, asleep in a chair next to him. He then looked at Chelsea in confusion. "How do you know she's been a nervous wreck?"

"Well considering it isn't normal for her to blackmail our Head Healer just so she can stay with you, I'm pretty sure you scared her." Chelsea remarked. He held back a laugh, knowing it wasn't really appropriate. She sighed. "I'll let you wake her up, so she can yell at you for being stupid."

"Hey-" He began to argue, but she had already left. Silence greeted him and he hesitated, before reaching over, ignoring the creaking in his muscles and pushed Moria's hair back a bit. She awoke with a start, blinking rapidly. He offered a smile as she stared at him. "Hey, Love."

He yelped when she smacked him on the head.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" She hissed out angrily. He rubbed his head.

"I was _thinking_ that since I'm injured, I wouldn't gain another headache." He argued. However the rest of his argument died when he noticed her roughly brushing a hand under her eyes. "Did I scare you that badly?"

"Of course you did! You were covered in blood and you collapsed onto the ground! I thought you had stopped breathing." She hissed out. "With the amount of hexes that were still on you it's a miracle you didn't." She added, her voice rough as though she was fighting back tears. He frowned and sat up a bit further, cupping her cheek. She leaned into his touch.

"I'm sorry."

She still should have been angry. Hell, after the worry about whether or not he was going to survive, and arguing with her higher-ups which would most likely cause her to be at least suspended for a little bit, she had every right to be angry. But that simple apology seemed to quell her anger. "You idiot. Don't scare me like that." He let out a bark-like laugh and kissed her forehead.

"I'll try not to. But it's my job."

"To nearly die?" She asked dryly.

"Love, being an auror is dangerous work." He explained. "You know that. But I'll always be careful…I want to come back to you." He added. Her face grew red and she made several sputtering sounds. He merely grinned, kissing her gently, to which she responded almost immediately. They parted when the both heard footsteps coming down the corridor, moving away just in time as several other healers entered.

* * *

"Stop throwing the damn apple." Moria chastised as she grabbed the apple in the air that Sirius had been tossing as he lay in his hospital bed. As she had expected, they had ordered him to spend the night at Mungo's. Somehow Moria had managed to convince them to let her stay there with him as long as she didn't cause trouble, share a room, under the promise that she would be on his best behavior. But now he was bored and pushing her last nerve.

"Apples are for eating, Sirius. Not for throwing" Moria reprimanded placing the apple on nightstand. "Look if you want something to eat how about a mel-!" she began to say but then felt a chill on the back of her legs and looked over her shoulder to see that Sirius had lifted up her skirt and was looking under it.

"SIRIUS!"

A few minutes later James and Lily walked in to see Moria had now jammed a pillow over Sirius's face and they could clearly see Sirius's limbs flailing at the sides.

"Uh…should we leave you two alone?" James asked as Moria looked up before removing the pillow. Sirius coughed loudly sitting up.

"You tried to smother me!" he accused glaring at Moria who looked indifferent but still grinned.

"I wasn't going to smother you to death. Just long enough to pass out…pervert." She scolded.

"I was bored!" he argued.

"Then do something that doesn't involve looking up my skirt. If you did that to Lily, James would have decked you. Injured or not." She said and James snorted while Lily rubbed her forehead.

"When are you two going to mature?" She grumbled and the two looked at each other and then at her.

"Where's the fun in that?" They asked simultaneously and Lily groaned before looking at Sirius.

"How are you?" she asked concern evident in her voice. Sirius offered a bright grin.

"I'm fine. Honest Lil." He stated. "I have an excellent healer…who smother's me with love."

That did it; James who had been trying so hard not to laugh began chocking. Lily's face became red and Moria began shaking, before all four began to laugh loudly.

* * *

"You want me to do…what?" Chelsea asked, looking at Bryn who was tickling Geoffrey. The little boy laughed, wiggling around in his mother's grip.

"Your mother works…or worked…at the Ministry right?"

"Well yeah…but I don't see why…I mean…do you feel like you're being followed?" Chelsea asked, sitting down at the table. "If that's the case, why don't you tell Remus?"

"It's not that I feel like I'm being followed." Bryn replied, shaking her head. "It's just…if something did happen to me…" She trailed off looking at Geoffrey, who seemed utterly clueless about what they were talking about. Hopefully he was. "I'd want him safe."

"So you want my Mum researching for…"

"Your Mum is the muggle equivalent of a lawyer in Wizengamot." She responded. "So she understands the laws. And you know full well that if I do die, they won't let Remus keep him unless there is a loophole in those damn laws that they made against werewolves."

"So you want to make sure that there isn't something that will stop Remus from being his legal guardian?" Chelsea questioned. Bryn nodded. "But what if there isn't any loophole?" Chelsea asked. Bryn frowned, glancing at Geoffrey.

"I don't know."

Chelsea stared at her best friend and then sighed.

"Alright. I'll go ask her. I bet she'll be willing to do it." She commented. Bryn smiled gratefully while Chelsea laughed.

**A BIT SHORT I KNOW...BUT THE NEXT ONE WILL BE LONGER...I THINK. ANYHOO, READ AND REVIEW!**


	13. AN ODD MISSION

Harry blinked up at Moria, who was reading a book. She seemed to be ignoring the one month old, which he didn't much well appreciate. This was _his _aunt, and he should be what she was paying attention to, not some book. To remedy this, he employed his secret weapon. Giggling loudly, he waved his hands towards her, his green eyes shining brightly. Moria looked over to him and smiled, setting the book down and leaning over him.

"What are you doing, little bugger?" She teased. Harry gurgled loudly, smiling up at her and stretching towards her. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"You are such a flirt, aren't you? Honestly, not even a month old and you're just like your dad and Uncle Padfoot."

"Oi…I resent that." A voice argued behind her. She looked up and laughed at Sirius who was grinning at her. He leaned over the couch, observing the youngest Potter.

"So is it true? You flirting with my girl, Prongslet?" He teased. She chuckled.

"Well he is cuter than you. Younger too." She observed. He mockingly glared at her, sticking his tongue out.

"Alright, alright. What are you two doing to my son?" Lily asked, walking over and hoisting Harry up, looking at her two friends with an amused look. Moria grinned.

"Nothing. Just stating that he is an adorable kid." She offered. Lily gave them a patronizing glare and then a smirk.

"Right." Lily stated slowly. "Anyway, don't forget you two have to go on some mission with James…I would go but…"

"Baby needs are a bit more necessary. We'll make sure James comes back." Moria assured. Lily bit her lip, then nodded. "We'll be back in a little bit." Moria remarked, and the pair left, apparating right outside the Godric's Hollow door.

* * *

"So a bunch of muggle men have been found…murdered?" Moria remarked, glancing at Moody and Dumbledore, then back at the file. "You two think it's a Deatheater doing it? Why?" Moria asked. "I mean...this could easily be just a muggle serial killer. Not that it makes it any better." She reprimanded. Dumbledore only chuckled, but the laughter didn't seem to reach his eyes.

"The men have been found dead by no muggle means of death." Moody replied sourly. Moria offered a slight glare, before lifting the sheet again to observe the names. "They were wearing necklaces that, from what aurors have told me, had a curse on them…It was delayed, giving the seller enough time to escape. But we can't get anyone to talk to us…apparently they think we're being judgmental of them." Moody continued, his magic eye rolling crazily. She then lifted up the second paper, and her eyebrows drew together in confusion. She looked at them, before glancing at Sirius and James, trying not to laugh. Both men glanced at each other and then at her. She then tossed the file to them and looked at the two older men.

"So…any particular reason that the plan includes Sirius and James dressing up as girls?" Moria questioned, her voice cracking as she forced the laugh down. Sirius and James looked up and then at the two older men, horror and surprise crossing their features.

"Unfortunately, many of the women are either unavailable, or they, for example you, are far too easily identifiable." Moody said. "So we need to get different…girls. Besides the fact, it seems that most of the victims were male crossdressers from a popular gay bar."

At this, Moria couldn't hold it back and she broke into hysterical laughing, clutching her sides as she saw James and Sirius's faces. It now became apparent as to why they were there. It wasn't just for muscle.

They were going to be bait.

* * *

"You know, most blokes would be fighting tooth and nail for this." Moria teased, looking at Sirius. He offered a teasing grin.

"Hey, if I'm gonna go drag, the very least I can do is look good doing it!" Sirius remarked.

"Tone it down on the eyeshadow, Sirius... It looks like you're trying too hard." Moria sarcastically remarked. Sirius winked at her, pulling his hair out of his ponytail.

"Jealous?" He teased. She snorted, crossing her arms and cocking her head to the side.

"Why couldn't they have gotten other blokes to do this?" James grumbled as he pulled off his shirt. Moria offered a look, though it was one of amusement.

"Can either of you picture Moody in drag?" She asked and watched as they shuddered. "Guess not…you know, I should be jealous that you're both wearing a skirt much better than I could manage." She teased. James grumbled as put a bra on. And now he understood why Lily hated this restrictive piece of fabric.

"You're taking sadistic enjoyment out of this aren't you?" He asked dryly. She smiled.

"Now why would I get pleasure out of dressing my boyfriend and his best friend up as a girl?" She asked. He rolled his eyes.

"Because this is you, and you're dating a Marauder." He remarked. Her grinned widened. "How do you girls wear skirts anyways? They completely restrict running."

"How many girls have you seen running in a skirt?" She asked. He opened his mouth, but she held up a hand. "Rhetorical. Don't actually answer as I don't want to tell Lily that when I tell this mission to her."

"You are NOT telling her this at all." James warned, pointing a finger at Moria in warning, who grinned like her animagus.

Sirius chuckled in amusement at the banter between the pair as he glanced around at the things he was going to have to wear. Thank God…there were no heels. He'd rather walk over glass than wear heels. "What is this?" He asked, nudging a piece of cloth, which was definitely not a top. Moria looked over her shoulder and grimaced, almost in pity, though he failed to notice it. She walked over and pulled the fabric up and around his waist.

"Brace and breathe in."

"What the hell are you—" He began to ask. But before the entire question was even out, she pressed her hand against his chest with one hand, and gave a hard tug with the other one, the one that was holding two straps. He let out a wheezy grunt in surprise. "What the hell?!"

She offered an apologetic smile as she continued to tie the knot. "Corset. Makes your waist seem thinner."

He blinked several times, trying to regain the lost air that had been forcefully pushed out of his body, and glared at her. "It's a torture device."

She chuckled and looked up at him. "Welcome Mr. Black, to wonderful fashion world of women." She teased. James looked petrified at the idea of him being forced to wear that.

"…no wonder my mother was bonkers." He remarked. She laughed loudly, before her laughter calmed, and her hands settled right over his heart. She bit her lip, looking at him.

"You two be careful, alright?" She murmured, almost embarrassed. She knew he could handle things like catching a Deatheater, hell, he did it all the time. But ever since he had come to the hospital…it was incredibly real that she could lose him in an instant. He cocked his head to the side, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. He offered a smile.

"We will. The same goes for you."

"I'm just playing a bartender so I can keep an eye on you nearby. You know that." She murmured. He tugged on her hair, forcing her to look at him.

"Still doesn't matter. I don't want to lose you." He murmured. She nodded softly, before he kissed her. It was probably odd to James, who at that moment was looking away, playing with his wig and for anyone who possibly walked in and saw the oldest son of the Black family in a skirt and a corset, kissing a young woman, but she didn't care.

He was right there, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

"Alright anymore questions?"

"Yeah. Does this dress make me look fat?"

A resounding smack echoed in alleyway and Sirius yelped, rubbing the back of his head as Moria rolled her eyes.

"Any questions that are relevant to the mission?" She asked glaring at Sirius, who crossed his eyes. She rolled her eyes as she played with the shortened strands, the result of a glamor charm. She looked like a 21 year old feminine boy. Granted, she didn't look as odd as they did, she mused, looking at them in amusement. James stood there awkwardly, thumbing at his red dress that had yellow polka-dots. He spat out a strand of his wig, glaring angrily at her. Sirius, ironically, looked extremely comfortable in a dark blue blouse and a denim skirt. She supposed she should have been worried, but she was far too amused.

"Can you two promise that you aren't going to beat someone's face in?"

"Why?" James complained, sounding like a five year old child that was having his toy taken away from him.

"Remember you're supposed to act like you're doing this in your own free will, not being ordered to. You won't give yourself any points if you punch someone. So grin and bear it." She remarked. "I'll go on ahead for my…shift…be careful." She warned before turning and exiting the alley, the echoes of her footsteps barely being heard as she crossed the street and entered the pub, the sounds of music cutting into the air for a split second before becoming muffled. Sirius looked at James who was fiddling with his wig, a look of discontent plastered on his face as he pushed up his glasses.

"I say, if we don't see this git in 30 minutes, we grab Moria, leave, and never mention this to anyone."

"Agreed."

* * *

"Well aren't you a tall glass of something."

Sirius had to hold back a laugh as he glanced up, watching as James grew flustered…again…as another man, wearing a bright blue wig, and rather glamorous makeup and glitter splattered on his cheekbones. He was the epitome of sparkle galore, from a sparkly dress to sparkly heels. As James politely declined this man's advances, watching as the bloke, clearly annoyed, turned on a heel and stormed off. Sirius scribbled a line on a napkin.

"That's been…19 blokes for you…10 for me…" Sirius counted and then frowned. "Wait…that can't be right. I'm the better looking one out of us."

"Oh shut up." James groaned angrily under his breath, barely heard over the sound of the music. Sirius offered a wolfish grin.

"How many blokes have whistled at us?"

"I've stopped counting." Sirius replied. "Blimey, they must be blind."

"Or horny." James groaned.

"Picky, picky."

"Sweet Merlin, I just want this night to be over."

"Come on. Try and act like you're actually enjoying this."

"Shouldn't your girlfriend be all she-devil with all the blokes chasing after you?" James grumbled. Sirius pointed to where Moria was handing a drink to a customer.

"She knows my heart is only for her. Besides…she's finding this hilarious." He explained. James looked at him as though he had lost his mind.

"I wonder about your sanity. Both of your sanity actually. So many times." James remarked, as they continued down the street. Sirius offered a grin, as another man let out a low whistle, walking towards them. They could see in their peripherals Moria trying desperately not to laugh. Honestly he was amused at how many men seemed to be interested in him and James. It was amusing, as he turned, and for once in the entire night taking his eyes off of Moria. She glanced up to once again smile in amusement, however noticed something. In the corner, towards one of the exits, two forms were leaving, which, wouldn't have made a big deal, if one of them she hadn't recognized as being a Deatheater that had continuously eluded the Order as one of the two men walking with Little Miss John Doe. Her heart pounding she looked over to the other bartender.

"I need to go for a ciggy break." She remarked quickly. The other girl looked annoyed, but realizing there weren't a lot of people at the bar, nodded, though she still looked unhappy. Moria hurried away, not noticing that Sirius nor James had noticed her hasty departure, as they were trying now to get rid of another flirter. She entered the alleyway next to the pub, the pounding music only letting up slightly. In the shadows she could see two men, one in Wizarding garb, the other in a flamboyant Macarena styled dress, talking. In the wizard's hand was a necklace. Thinking fast, Moria withdrew her wand.

"Stupefy." She hissed, hitting the muggle man, who fell to the ground in an unconscious heap. The wizard turned quickly, however as he pulled out his own wand, hers was already aimed at him, her eyes narrow.

"Well, it seems that intel was right about you." She remarked as took several steps forward in the alleyway. "Granted, you must have known-"

"Well, well." A voice sang and Moria turned slightly, her insides turning cold as a woman walked out of the shadows, twirling her wand. Even though her face was covered, she recognized the voice. While it may not have been Bellatrix…there had been several girls that had followed her…ones that shared every single of the ideals. "If it isn't Bla-! Oh wait…it's still Prescott, isn't it? Sad really. We were expecting some bigger fish…not a little healer, who is in way over her head."

"You're a Parkinson now aren't you, Gloria?" She commented dryly, not even letting that jab make its mark. "I hardly seem to be one in over my head…considering the Parkinson family come from more wealth than you were ever used to. Granted in comparison to your maiden name, I guess it's a fair trade." She continued. Gloria growled from beneath her mask.

"You always thought you were better than everyone." Gloria snarled.

"This coming from the girl who spat on me multiple times." Moria remarked, her wand in front of her. "So…you're the bitch attacking and killing muggle women? How beneath you."

Gloria sneered and suddenly Moria felt a chill slide down her back. She looked to her left and saw several other Deatheaters appearing from the shadows. She bit her lip, taking a step back. Something wasn't right. How the hell had they known that she was there?

"You think you've got it all figured out, don't you Prescott?" Gloria jeered. "Hate to break it to you, but we know more about you and your little friends, Moria." She sang.

"What are you-" Moria began to ask, but barely managed to duck as a stunning hex whizzed by her head. She tumbled to the side and the Deatheaters descended on her, sending hex after hex at her. She ducked, confusion rolling in her like waves. They weren't letting her even voice any type of spell, only being able to dodge. They were just trying to stun her…but why? Why weren't they trying to kill her?

"Oh, Prescott…you'll be an _excellent_ gift for him."

"_Him?"_ Moria thought quickly, in confusion. She barely managed another thought when she heard the familiar command, and the green light illuminated the area.

"_**CRUCIO!"**_

The pain was unimaginable. It was so intense, so all-consuming, that she no longer knew where she was as white-hot knives seemed to be piercing every inch of her skin, her head was surely going to burst with pain; she was screaming more loudly than she'd ever screamed in her life.

_Sirius…._

Sirius stopped mid-step, almost as though he had been hit by a stunning spell, his eyes widening. James stopped and looked at his friend in confusion.

"Sirius?"

"Something's wrong with Moria."

"Something's-! How the hell do you know?!" James asked, as Sirius turned to look around, but failed to spot Moria. But…even though the club was littered with lights, the sound nearly deafening with laughter, music, and the general population talking, he could swear he could see a green glow coming from a nearby exit, that was mainly used by the employees, and could hear a long drawn out, horrible scream that seemed to echo through the pub to him. His heart quickened.

"Quick, make a distraction."

"How?!" James hissed out.

"We just have to think of something." Sirius implored. Something was wrong. Something was incredibly wrong.

* * *

Moria was trembling as she tried in vain to regain the breath that had been stolen from her, lying on the ground as Deatheaters laughed above her. "Awww…is it the first time being hit with a few Cruciatus Curses at once, little Moria?" Gloria sneered. Moria let a low gravely growl, struggling to sit up. Gloria slammed her heel into Moria's chest, forcing the other girl to the ground again, watching as the glamor charm faded, and long wavy hair spilled down to the ground, framing her face. "I rather like you looking like this. On the ground, like the lowly dog you are."

"You must feel big, Gloria." Moria spat out with a grin. "But then again…I can't help but pity you. You can't do anything yourself, can you?"

"What did you say?" Gloria hissed out, pressing the heel further into Moria's chest and bending over to grab a handful of hair and wrenching Moria' head up. Moria flinched, but then laughed.

"You. Can't. Do. Anything. By. Yourself." She declared. "When we were in school you hid behind Bellatrix. And now you're doing the same." She announced with a mirthful smirk. "Face it, Gloria. You're just a weak witch who needs to get others to do your bidding. Weakling."

A resounding smack echoed in the air as Gloria dug her hand into the side of her face. Moria's head would have jerked to that side if the female Deatheater didn't have a tight grip on her hair. "Shut up…" Gloria snarled. "Shutupshutupshutup! SHUT UP!" She screamed, pointing her wand at Moria's face. "AVADA-!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Gloria's wand went flying backward and the Deatheaters turned, but barely managed to raise their wands before two were stunned. Moria glanced past Gloria and saw, as her blurred vision cleared, a rather amusing sight. Sirius and James stood there on the far end of the alleyway. James's wig had slid off and Sirius' glasses that he had worn had fallen off in the mad dash up there. They barely let the other Deatheaters get their bearings before they set off a flurry of attacks. Now it was the Deatheaters who were scrambling for cover, tossing Moria aside like a ragdoll. She struggled to stand and finally managed to, stumbling slightly, but managing to get her footing.

As quickly as the fight had started it had ended, the whole group except two Deatheaters disapparating away. Moria leaned heavily on the ledge.

"…well…the mission turned out to be a dud." She panted, as Sirius hurried over to her, not caring as he stepped on a Deatheater.

"Moria…what…"

"This whole mission was a trap." She grumbled, shaking her head to try and clear the dizziness that was sweeping through her. "They were trying to get some of us alone to off us, so they decided to get a big enough body count to get our attention. Wanted to get add us to the body count I guess."

Sirius cursed loudly, pulling her to him. She didn't mind, as she was pretty sure she was about to collapse, and welcomed the support, even if it was coming from a man in a skirt. She blinked and moved away.

"How'd you guys get out of the pub?"

"Let's just say we blinded nearly everyone by making glitter light up." Sirius explained quickly. Moria looked up, an amused smile gracing her lips.

"You two are bonkers."

"Says the woman who went outside to face a Deatheater alone."

"In my defense, I thought there was only one. I could handle only one." She remarked, glancing over at the sound of a groan. "Oh right…I had to stun Miss John Doe." She added. Sirius looked up and barked a laugh at the man that lay flopped on the ground, unconscious.

"Nice."

"Hey, he has no clue that I just saved his life." She teased. Sirius grinned, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "We should get going before he wakes up…but we should obliviate him, just in case." She remarked. The other two glanced over and then shrugged.

"Which one of us is actually good at memory charms? That's normally Lily's-" James began to say but stopped when they heard a click and a split second flash. They turned to see that Moria had pulled out camera from her knapsack and had taken a photo of them. She gave them a wicked grin.

"Oh Lily is going to have a good laugh with this." She teased. James was still for a second and then dashed toward her. She cackled loudly and ran away, gripping the camera tightly, apparently the backlash of being under the Cruciatus curse behind her. Sirius watched in amusement, before shrugging and going to the still unconscious male.

"Looks like the obliviating will be up to me." He murmured, not even heard by his best friend or his girlfriend.

"Get back here, Prescott!"

"You'll have to be faster than that, Potter!"

Sirius rolled his eyes as he advanced to the stunned individual. And they said _he_ was immature.

* * *

"What the hell is your problem?!"

"My problem, dear Gloria, whatever do you mean?" A form asked from within the shadows. Gloria looked incensed, tearing off her mask and throwing it to the ground.

"What I mean is, we lost two good men, because of your stupid desire to try and get Prescott!" She snarled. A chuckle sounded in the shadows.

"What makes you think that my want for Prescott was the entire reason for the mission? The Dark Lord was fairly aware that if we killed enough muggles in the same fashion, we were bound to gain the Order's attention. We could have easily gotten someone to torture for information." Dane explained walking out of the shadows. "But tell me, why is a mission given to you by higher ups, my fault?" He continued asking, walking closer to her. He could see she was trembling as he moved closer. He made her uncomfortable. Good.

"You failed didn't you? Pity…you let your jealousy get a hold of you."

"You filthy half blind, half-breed! How dare-"

"Need I remind you of what happened to the _**last**_ girl who called me that?" He asked and watched her pale, clamping her mouth shut. "There are reasons that I'm one of the one higher up in the pecking order than you ever would be." He reminded, gripping her chin tightly. "Half-blood I may be, half-blind…but I can assure you, that doesn't make me any less deadly. Am I to be understood?" He questioned, his voice cool and clear. Trembling she nodded and he removed his grip.

"And say hello to your daughter for me, Gloria." He remarked as she turned to go. She whirled around, her eyes wide, her face pale.

"How do you-"

"Oh…I know everything about you, Gloria. Pansy Parkinson…really? Such a name. Now then…" he patted her cheek and walked past her frozen form. "I best be off. Be careful, Gloria. Don't forget your daughter needs you." He warned and then left the room of the warehouse. He stared down the hall, inhaling the fall air sharply, closing his eyes as he remembered the woman that had ruined his life. She would pay…oh she would definitely pay.

He would just have to wait and bid his time.

Like a spider waiting for its victim. He then grinned. But first he would need to thin the herd out. First would be the pawns.

And he knew a certain blonde woman that had escaped from the previous head torturer would be a perfect first one.

**I ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER A BIT TOO MUCH. GRANTED THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS ARE GOING TO BE DEPRESSING, SO I WANTED TO GET SOME LAUGHS. SO WHAT DID YOU GUYS THINK?**

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE :D**


	14. TO BE RAISED BY THE MOON

**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE :)**

"Now have fun on your 'boy's night' okay Remus?" Bryn asked a bright grin on her face as Remus got ready for another monthly transformation. He merely sighed. Only Bryn would downplay him transforming into a werewolf to him and the other boys simply going out. He did feel bad for James though. Only a month after his son was born, and only a few days of an actual good night's sleep and he was still going out to be with him during his transformation.

"Yes Ma'am." He joked gently kissing her on the forehead causing her to blush and smile. "And Geoffrey, you're the man of the house. Okay?" He asked. The two year old nodded, suckling on a pacifier. Bryn groaned.

"I need to get him to stop using that." She grumbled.

"Hey, those books didn't have a specific date." Remus argued. She rolled her eyes.

"I know, but still…" she murmured and then shook her head, looking over at him with a bright smile. "Now be safe alright?"

"I will. The same goes for you."

"I'm just visiting the Williams, Remus. I'll be fine."

"…Those two have started chatting with you more than they ever did with me." He teased, trying to sound hurt. She grinned.

"This would be because I have an adorable two year old following me." She replied, smoothing out his coat. "Now then, Mr. Lupin, you better hurry up or your friends are going to kill you." She teased. He chuckled, before swallowing. Something uneasy settled in the pit of his stomach. As though this was the last time he would see her like this.

"I love you." She added gently. He merely smiled, before kissing her again.

"Love you too." He said against her mouth, before claiming it once again. She murmured softly. "I'll see you when I get back. Okay?" He asked and she cocked her head to the side as though teasing.

"I won't go anywhere willingly. If I am gone, look for something amiss." She said. He felt a twinge of worry, but knew that she always said that as a precaution.

"Alright. Be careful okay?" He pleaded.

"I always am. Be careful as well." She added and he kissed her one last time.

"I will. Love you." He said and she smiled before waving.

"Love you too. See you soon!" She said cheerily and with that he dispparated away. Bryn smiled and shook her head, turning around and picking up Geoffrey. "Ready to go see the Williams?" She asked. Geoffrey began to babble loudly, dislodging the pacifier and she chuckled, grabbing his pacifier, before she walked out of the flat, and closed it. Remus was such a worrywart, but she understood his worry.

She looked up at the ceiling, sighing as she stretched. She wanted to live as long.

She just hoped she would have that wish.

* * *

"He is just a darling." Emily William stated as she watched Geoffrey toddle away. Bryn offered a slight laugh. He was a darling…if he didn't have sweets. When he had sweets, he left the darling behind and let the devil out. Geoffrey grinned, shoving the fire truck that Emily had given him when they came over forward and around a corner.

"Yes he is." She finally conceded with a smile. "Tea?"

"Yes, please." Edward William answered for them both, looking at the little boy affectionately. Bryn held back a grin. Geoffrey had both of them wrapped around his fingers. Not surprising really…she had heard from them that they had lost their own grandson in a car accident, along with his mother and father. It was sad really…but if Geoffrey made them happy, it was fine by her. Humming she set the kettle on the stove, she absently thought about her own parents. What would they have thought about being grandparents? Her brother being an uncle. She didn't know. She frowned, feeling a slight stab of guilt, and immediately began to shrug it off. The kettle started shrieking and she moved over to place the kettle onto a cool burner. As she did this a strange green glow illuminated the kitchen. She froze, her eyes wide. She knew that glow. Seconds later two loud thumps were heard. She withdrew her wand, and slowly advanced to the entrance of the door. She couldn't hear Emily or Edward. And now that she thought about it, she couldn't hear Geoffrey either.

Panic took over her, and she opened the door. However it wasn't what she expected. She had expected to see the bodies of Edward and Emily. That didn't surprise her. She had only heard two bodies falling as they were hit with the Killing Curse. She had expected Deatheaters. What she hadn't expected however, was to see them all staring at her, not with a look of surprise, but a look of expectance.

And they were grinning.

"Well hello there Miss Wainright. It's been a long time hasn't it?"

Bryn kept her mouth shut, staring at them. Two had their wands visible, the other two didn't.

"Oh don't tell me that you don't remember me. You had such a pretty face before that scar…especially when you sc-"

"Stuepfy!" She yelled. The man was lifted off his feet, and flung backwards. The others seemed to react to that and she barely managed to dodge the three attacks.

"Protego!" She called out, placing a protective shield in front of her. It wouldn't do squat if any of them called out the Killing Curse, but it worked right now. "Stup-"

"Mama?"

She froze mid-spell and turned to see that another Deatheater…a sixth one had apparently been there, searching for a way to get her to stop. And he had found one. A small two year old boy was held up by an arm. Next to his head the Deatheater had placed his wand, warning her to cease her fighting. Geoffrey looked at his mother curiously. He had never seen these men before, or had seen his mother look so petrified.

"Geoff-"

She didn't hear the stunning spell. All she did sense was being thrown backward and slamming into the wall. The next thing she sensed was the darkness…

And the screaming of a child.

* * *

It was early the next morning by the time Remus arrived back home, tired and sore. He just wanted to go to sleep…

His thoughts trailed off when he went to unlock the door and found it already unlocked and slightly ajar. That was odd…Bryn would never leave the door open-!

His heartbeat skyrocketed.

"Bryn? Geoffrey? You here?" He called out, opening the door slightly, cautiously. No answer was given. Maybe she had gone out for a walk? No. That wouldn't make sense. It was way too early…normally she would be dead asleep by the time he got back.

"Bryn! Come on, answer-! A…answer me…" he stopped when he entered the living room. Two bodies lay on the ground. He recognized them as his neighbors, but for several seconds it didn't dawn on him what that had meant. He looked around and spotted burn markings across the wall, a deep impression next to the burn marks.

"No…" he whispered out, finally coming to the conclusion he hadn't wanted.

They were gone.

Taken.

* * *

"But I don't get it." Moria remarked as they all stood in Sirius and her flat, after a panicked call from Remus. "Why would they need Bryn? She's rarely involved with the Order. She's a muggleborn witch. What use do they need with her? The same goes for Geoffrey. He can't even say words correctly. He's not that much of a danger." Moria asked.

"Who knows? The important thing is that we find her." Sirius said, suppressing a yawn. In truth, he was exhausted. So were James and Peter. But they weren't about to turn down Remus…not after all he had gone through. Moria glanced at Chelsea.

"Think it's possible to do that spell?" She asked. Chelsea shrugged.

"…in theory. But you know full well that it's been shelved." Chelsea said. The rest of the group looked at the two healers.

"Shelved or not, it is probably useful right now."

"What spell?"

"It's a spell a few of the healers worked on. It's idea was good. Essentially it works as a tracker or a silent calling. Every now and then…a patient will wake up confused and disoriented. They'll panic and rush out of the hospital with their wands. I cannot tell you how many times Obliviators have had to obliviate muggle's memories because of a confused wizard or witch." Moria sighed.

"So we came up with a method that would track them down immediately. But it's use is limited…and a lot of healers found it way too much trouble. So the project was shelved." Chelsea said. "But it's worth a shot."

"You two know it?"

"Moria got involved a few months ago and knows the basics." Chelsea replied. "I was involved from the beginning."

"Remus…can I have that scarf you brought along?"

"S-Sure…" Remus replied, handing the scarf to Moria. Moria gingerly wrapped the scarf around her hand, and Chelsea did the same, before the pair gripped each other's cloth covered hand.

"Okay…Chelsea and I will try to locate her."

"Hopefully we don't end up hitting a backlash." Chelsea joked and despite the situation Moria laughed.

"The only way that would happen is if a healer was with Bryn and knew the spell. Which…I doubt." Moria replied. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Chelsea replied.

"Alright. On three. One. Two. Three." Moria ordered.

"_Reperio unus cuius inops , rector nos ut suum destination."_They said simultaneously and suddenly they grew still, unblinking.

"Holy Merlin. That's the spell? Are they even breathing?" Alice asked, holding the sleeping Neville to her.

"I think they've gone into a comatose state." James stated waving his hand in front of Moria's face, gaining no response.

"We wait now?"

"Yeah…we wait."

* * *

"_**Wow…"**_

"_**Never done the spell, I presume?"**__ Chelsea asked, slightly amused. Moria shook her head. It was as though they were apparating, the images around them just a meshed blur. _

"_**Do you think she's alright? And Geoffrey. Do you think they're both alright?" **__Chelsea inquired, worry evident in her voice._

"_**She is…no way would she give up. And she would fight tooth and nail to keep Geoffrey safe." **__Moria replied. Suddenly they heard the sounds of yelling and cursing coming towards the nearing exit. Crying soon followed, mixing with the yelling. Soon after they reached the exit. Moria and Chelsea automatically looked around. They were in a dungeon of sorts. In fact…the same type and description of what Remus, Wulfric, Cepheus, and had said that Sirius, James, and Moria had been in nearly 10 months ago. _

"_**This place…" **__Chelsea murmured._

"_**You recognize it?"**_

_**Recognize it?"**__ Chelsea remarked coolly. __**"Of course I do. This is the place where you, Sirius, and James were held captive in. I'd remember it anywhere."**__ She continued. They then spotted Bryn. She was struggling against two men as one stood in front of her. Her hair was mussed up and her clothing was torn in areas, but other than that she looked fine._

"Tell us mudblood."

"Go burn in hell!" _Bryn spat out angrily. Moria smirked. So Bryn had some backbone after all. _

"Mama!" _A cry came. The pair looked over at the corner to see Geoffrey now trying desperately to get to his mother._

"Don't make us hurt the kid." _The Deatheater warned. Moria bit her bottom lip, as Bryn looked over at Geoffrey._

"I told you! I don't know!" _Bryn cried out, earning a smack to the face._

"You're lying!"

"I'm not! Let Geoffrey go! He's only two!"

"_**Those bastards…using him as a bargaining chip."**__ Moria murmured angrily, looking at the captors, trying to recognize anyone. She was startled as one looked directly at her and Chelsea. That couldn't be true, this spell only showed them what was going on, it didn't allow others to see. Unless-!_

_Moria recognized him almost immediately after. He was a healer…a head healer in fact. One of the leading researchers in this spell. And it's counter._

"_**Oh sh-!"**__ Moria hissed out before feeling as though they had just been hit with a shock wave of air. It happened quickly. A backwards moving blur of images was all they saw before a split second view of their bodies._

* * *

"How long does this spell take?" Sirius asked. Lily shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with distance or-" she began to say but stopped as a quick bright light flashed, blinding them for a second, before Chelsea and Moria literally flew in opposite directions slamming into the walls.

"What the hell-!? Moria!" Sirius called out rushing over to his girlfriend who was rubbing the back of her head. "Are you-"

"Oh that lousy son of a bitch!" Moria growled out angrily.

"What?! Are they okay?! What happened?!" Remus asked the panic now evident in his voice.

"They're fine. Giving the Deatheaters a bloody difficult time." Moria said.

"She's talking about that traitorous healer that literally threw us back in. I'm not sure if he saw us or just sensed that the spell was used." Chelsea growled out.

"What? No one else can?"

"Like I said it was still in the works…not even I know the whole effects of it, Sirius." Moria explained.

"And he was one of the heads who founded the research. No doubt going to teach it to his Deatheater buddies if it had succeeded."

"We need to go. No telling if he saw us and knows we're enemies."

"Where are they?!"

"Where else…that prison that she was in the first place and where Geoffrey was born." Moria said. "We have to hurry. There isn't much time."

"Who is going?"

"I'll go. Just in case you need a healer. Chelsea…you have to stay here."

"But-!"

"Chelsea, you haven't been in a lot of fights. And because of your relationship with Bryn you'll be distracted."

"But Remus is going! Why can't I-!" Chelsea began to argue, but realizing the fight was lost and they were wasting time nodded. "You all better come back. **All **of you." She added and Moria nodded. She glanced at the rest of them and saw that James was kissing Lily who was wishing him luck, obviously deciding to stay and be with Harry who merely gurgled. Within minutes the group of her, Sirius, James, Frank, Peter, and Remus were ready.

"We'll be back soon." Moria said and they dispparated.

* * *

Geoffrey was crying loudly in the cell he had been thrown into. It was dark. And cold. And his mother wasn't anywhere to be seen. No one he knew was anywhere.

He cried louder.

He wanted his mummy.

He wanted his daddy.

He wanted-

His crying ceased as the door slid open, but a whimper still escaped as a form walked in. He let out a loud shriek as the figure picked him up and hurried out of the room.

"Be quiet!" The voice hissed. He stopped surprise. It wasn't a mean man. It was a woman and she sounded desperate.

"Honestly. Taking a child…why did I even join this?" A voice hissed out, and she began to mumble to herself. Geoffrey looked at her fearfully, his cheek still throbbing from when he had been smacked for making too much noise. The woman hurried through the corridors and finally Geoffrey felt a breeze of fresh air, different from the stale breeze that had been inside the corridors. Seconds later he was outside. He looked at the woman in confusion as she sat him down.

"Go on. Get." She hissed out. He didn't move, staring at her with glassy eyes. The woman cursed.

"Dianthe is good at knowing when to leave. Now go!" She ordered. Still he did not move. She let out a curse and then, regretting it, smacked him across the face. He yelped and scrambled away, clutching the now red cheek that had been marked by nails. The woman looked pained behind her mask, silently begging for forgiveness for hitting a child. But it got her message across as Geoffrey scrambled away, into the trees. As he pulled himself over a fallen tree trunk, he heard the sounds of people. He didn't know what to do…they could be dangerous…but they were people…they could be good…right?

Not trying to second guess himself, he scampered towards the sounds.

* * *

It was only seconds later that they landed in front of the prison; Remus's rage was boiling over. He was tired, sore, but now those emotions had been overwritten. How dare they go after her! How dare they go after a little boy! How dare they-!

"Remus." He heard Moria say and glanced at her. She was staring at him. "Calm down. Rushing in there with anger is likely to get us all killed. And then no one can save them." She ordered and he swallowed. She was right of course, but it didn't make it any easier.

"We'll get them Remus. We promise." Moria said with a soft smile before looking at the others. "How many Deatheaters?"

"That's the funny thing. There isn't. Not a single one guarding the entrance." Peter said glancing at the others. Sirius frowned.

"Either that means they're cocky for a place that got busted in once and a prisoner escaped from…or they're expecting us." Moria said coldly, pulling her hair into a ponytail. "I'm going for the latter of the two."

"I agree. We have to be c-!" Sirius began to say but a sound stopped him. They all turned when they heard the sound of twigs snapping and bending. They raised their wands, hexes on their tongues. That is until the figure stumbled out.

"Geoffrey?"

The little boy froze, staring at them and then plopped down, beginning to cry. Remus made a move to go pick him up. Moria stopped him.

"Wait."

"Wait? Why the hell should I wait?! He's terrified!"

"We just need to make sure it's actually him." Moria remarked.

"You really think they would act like a two year old?"

Moria ignored him. "Geoffrey." She called out. Geoffrey stopped crying, looking at her curiously, though his bottom lip trembled. "Where is Remus's chocolate stash?"

Geoffrey stared at her and then pouted, pressing a finger to his mouth.

"Secret."

Moria looked at Remus who nodded, relief evident in his shoulders. "I told him not to tell anyone. That it's a secret."

That seemed to be enough and Moria pocketed her wand and rushed over, picking up the toddler up. He began to cry again, clutching her shirt. She shushed him softly and began to walk back. Moria suddenly yelped as a cutting hex flew past her shoulder, slicing it open. Sirius bolted forward, not heeding the danger and tackled Moria down, shielding her and Geoffrey.

"Padfoot! Moria!" James called out as they dove behind bushes.

"Moria! Are you okay?!" Sirius asked, pressing himself against her.

"I'm fine." She called out. "Geoffrey is too! But I'm really getting tired of being the human pin cushion though!" She called out throwing a hex over Sirius's shoulder towards the bushes. She looked at Remus, as the trio managed to crawl to a good cover spot.

"Remus! Go on ahead and look for Bryn! We'll back you up." Moria said, and Remus nodded before bolting into the abandoned shack, and as though he was taking a trip down memory lane, opened up the hatch and jumped down rushing into the darkness. He continued, deeper and deeper calling out for her, but she made no reply and his heart began to race faster. Please Merlin, don't let her be-!

"Bryn! Come on, Bryn! Answer me!" he called out desperately. Once again nothing. Then he heard a barely audible groan echo through the hall. He looked around frantically and then opened a cell door, allowing the dim illumination to filter into the room.

"Bryn!" He called out in relief, as he spotted the feminine form lying on the ground. He rushed up to her, kneeling next to her. "Bryn! Bryn, come on wake up! It's me!" he called out, pushing his arm under the back of her neck and lifting her head up. She shifted slightly and then opened her eyes a sliver.

"Remus?" she whispered out and he laughed in relief.

"Yeah. I've got you." He whispered. "Merlin, you scared me." He murmured kissing her temple gently. He noted that they had changed her. Now she was wearing a pure white dress, her hair had been let down. His grip tightened.

"Geoffrey…"

"He's alright. We've got him." Remus replied. She let out a sound of relief, leaning against him.

"Here, let me pick you up."

"I can walk, Remus." She murmured and he looked at her.

"You sure? I don't mind." He asked and she shook her head offering him a smile.

"I'm sure." She replied and he let her down. She swayed slightly on her feet, leaning on him.

"Bryn? Are you okay?" he asked and she offered a soft smile.

"…Yeah…just tired." She replied. He sighed in relief.

"I'm glad. You have no idea how scared I was when I figured out you had been taken." He said. "But don't worry. You're safe now." He added a light blush on his face. She smiled gently, leaning her head onto his shoulder. Remus looked down at her his heart rate slowing down. Bryn went to glance up at him and smile but as she raised her eyes, she spotted a shadowed figure, standing at the corner, just in Remus's blind spot. Quickly the figure raised his hand and aimed a wand at Remus.

"REMUS!" She cried out shoving herself in front of him.

"**TARDUS IUGUOLO!**"

The scent of blood filled the air, followed by a loud roar of pain and fear.

"BBBBRRRRYYYYYYNNNN!"

* * *

Chelsea sat there nervously in the kitchen. Then it felt like a stabbing in her heart. She inhaled sharply and then went to the floo. She stuck her head in the fireplace.

"Mum?"

"_Chelsea? What's wrong?"_

"Mum…just a feeling. Did you find Bryn's answer?"

"_Of course I did. Everything is ready. But why? She's fine."_

Chelsea swallowed, pushing back the lump in her throat. "Mum. I don't think she is."

* * *

Remus felt as though time stood still. Bryn let out a small cry, gripping his jacket, pressing herself against him. Her fingers fisted into the fabric as though she was trying to continue standing, however her legs gave out and she began to slide down his frame. He followed, lowering her to the ground, gripping her back tightly, her arms resting weakly at her sides.

"Bryn! Hey! Wake up!" He called out desperately, but was startled when he felt something warm on the palm of his hand. He withdrew it and looked at his hand in confusion before his heart dropped as he saw ruby red on his hand, sliding down slightly. She was bleeding. Bryn was bleeding.

"Bryn-"

"Ah bloody hell. I was trying to shoot him. What happened?" a voice said and Remus looked up, gripping Bryn and trying to staunch the bleeding. A young man came out, his face hidden by the standard Deatheater mask.

"All because you tried to run away…this sucks." The man added. "Fenrir will be pissed for shooting one of his whores. Move. Give her to me so she can be treated." The man ordered as he simultaneously pointed his wand at Remus's temple.

"Bon au revoir." The man said coolly. However, using speed he didn't know he possessed, Remus swung, hitting the man in the leg with a cutting hex, and watched him crumple to the ground, screaming. He didn't know why he had done it. Maybe it was because this bastard had just shot Bryn, and she was barely conscious, resting her head on his thigh as she tried to breathe. Maybe it was the fact that this bastard had called her a whore. Or maybe it was the fact that he was angry for finding out that the man that had cursed him, had attacked Bryn, and had most likely every intention of either changing her or killing her come the next full moon. Maybe it was a combination…it didn't matter.

He didn't know what it was or what was influencing him but he placed Bryn onto the ground and had stormed up to the man that was now rolling on the ground in pain.

"You shot my leg!" the man roared out but was silenced as Remus pressed his wand into his temple, rage evident on his darkened face.

"You bastard! I'll-"

"Don't!" a voice rang out and his head snapped up, looking at Bryn who had used unknown strength to sit up, looking at him. "Re-Remus, you're not the kind of person…who would do this!" she cried out.

"Bryn…" he murmured, before glancing at the man. He scrambled away and picked up Bryn before rushing away, leaving the man on the ground and cursing his very existence.

* * *

Moria covered her face as another piece of tree exploded next to her before swinging around and shooting off a spell.

"Dammit! This is taking too long!" She growled out. She shoved Geoffrey to Sirius. "Hold him!"

"What are you going-" Sirius began to ask as she jammed her wand into her back pocket and began to climb up the tree she, Sirius, and Geoffrey were hiding behind and scampered onto the sturdiest looking branch. She stared into the brush before spotting one of the Deatheaters.

"Got you, you son of a…" she hissed out before leaping off if the branch and slamming her foot into the man. The man only gave a startled cry before a sickening crack was heard and Moria knew she had either broken the man's nose or jaw. She ducked as another Deatheater swung towards her. She grabbed his arm and flipped him over, yanking the arm back behind his back. The man let out a cry, dropping his wand in pain.

"Woah…remind me not to piss her off…EVER Sirius." James said stunned. She had just taken out two Deatheaters in a matter of a minute.

"I'll keep that in mind." Sirius said also stunned.

* * *

Remus hurried around yet another corner. They just had to put Bryn in the farthest cell from either exit. He glanced at Bryn who currently was piggybacking him. Her eyes were closed and her was breathing raspy as though it was getting difficult for her to breathe. He had taken off his jacket and had tried to wrap it around the wound but every now and then it slipped and he knew it wasn't doing any good.

He had never seen an aftermath of a spell like this, spells normally left burn marks. Not wounds that looked as though the victim had been shot.

"Bryn?" he asked.

"Hm?" she murmured out after a second or so of silence.

"You'll be okay…don't worry. Moria will fix you up as soon as we get you to her." He said, trying not to sound desperate. She smiled slightly.

"Okay…" she whispered out. "…Sounds good…hey…Remus?" she said and as he turned another corner, looked at her.

"Yeah?"

"If…if I don't make it…"

"Don't say stuff like that. You-"

"Can you raise Geoffrey?" She murmured and his throat closed for a second. "He doesn't know anyone else…and I don't want him to not know anyone." She asked.

"You'll be fine." He stammered out. "But I will…or I'll try, if that ever happens."

"And also…Don't give up on living…please…don't give up on loving, on living…till the very end. Okay?" she said.

"Bryn-!"

"Remus…promise." She murmured out, forcing her eyes open looking directly at him. He swallowed before nodding.

"Okay. I promise. To both of those questions. But don't worry. You'll be perfectly fine."

"…right…hey. I dunno know why…but all of sudden…I'm really cold." She murmured out and then let out a weak laugh. "…but you're really warm. Is…is that a werewolf thing?" she asked and he laughed just as weakly.

"Yeah. I guess it is."

"Say…Remus?"

"Hm?" he asked.

"…forgot to say this…love you." She said softly, her eyes closing again. His eyes burned.

"I love you too." He chocked out. He heard her laugh softly, before she shuddered and then relaxed. "Bryn?" he asked looking back at her.

She looked peaceful as though she was sleeping, a soft smile on her face.

"Hey…Bryn. Come on, say something! I'm listening! HEY!" he asked but she made no response, no movement. It was then he realized how quiet it was. No sounds of dripping water, of crying, groaning…

No breathing other than his own.

Only the echo of his voice was heard before it too was swallowed into the darkness. He made a chocking sound and felt something warm sliding down his face, but made no connection to the fact he was crying.

"G…God Dammit…" he murmured out, before beginning to sob.

"**GOD DAMMIT!"**

* * *

"Five. What is with their association with number five?" Sirius asked as they finished binding the last of the Deatheaters.

"We'll answer that question another day perhaps, come on we have to go help Moony and B-" James began to say but stopped when they heard a loud, long melancholy cry, as though someone was lamenting a lost soul. Moria knew that cry well, she had done the same when she was five.

"…No…" she whispered out but in the end they all knew who had made that howl, what that meant.

They had been too late.

Bryn was gone.

* * *

Time seemed to have slowed since the failed mission of recovering Bryn. The ceremony had been small. It had to be as it would have been odd to have had a second funeral for someone who by muggles opinion had been dead for over 3 years. Though Remus had been questioned by authorities, there had been no reason to charge him for the deaths of Emily and Edward William. He hadn't been at home when they died. It was now September 1980. Leaves were changing from their lively green color to the vibrant orange and yellows before falling to the ground.

Sirius and Moria now rarely saw each other. They were not avoiding each other, far from it. But Sirius was busy trying to help Remus; Moria was busy trying to help Chelsea grieve. On Moria's part however it seemed to be deeming to be successful, as Chelsea seemed to always be busy. She grieved of course…but there was something different now. She was always reading, always researching. Whenever she had asked, Chelsea had brushed her off. It wasn't about guilt, Chelsea had told her. Moria knew what had happened the previous time….when Bryn had been captured in their teen years…and presumed to be killed, she and Chelsea had gotten into an argument days before. They hadn't made up by the point of her kidnapping and it had killed Chelsea to think they hadn't made up and would never be able to.

And while there is no guilt on Chelsea's part, Remus was a different story.

"How is he?" Moria asked as Sirius came in. Sirius sighed.

"…he keeps saying he's fine. But we know that isn't the case. He's barely eating…" Sirius said, leaning on the kitchen counter.

"That's to be expected I guess. But he needs to eat." Moria said, looking at him. He sighed and nodded.

"I know. We all know. But…who can blame him?" he asked rhetorically and Moria stared at him. He ran his hand over his face. "And with that Ministry bitch breathing down his neck about Geoffrey having to go to a different home because he's a werewolf, it's not helping." He remarked coolly. There was silence. "It isn't fair."

"Nothing is fair, Sirius."

"I know that…but…Remus has already gone through so much. It wasn't fair to him. Bryn was probably the best thing that had happened to him…and she dies in his arms. And she was an excellent mum to Geoffrey. And now he doesn't have her there." Sirius whispered, pain evident in his eyes. "He was smiling, Moria. Like, smiling the way James does with Lily, Frank does with Alice, and probably the way I do with you. We had never seen him this…happy before that." Sirius said. Moria sighed.

"…let me talk to him." Moria suggested and Sirius looked at her. "Out of everyone that he knows…I know what he's going through, and I know what it feels like." Moria continued. "…and can you talk to Chelsea? Something tells me she has something up her sleeve."

"…And I'm better qualified to ask her because…?"

"Because you're a Marauder, and know when someone is coming up with a plan." Moria retorted. He stared at her before nodding.

"Okay."

"Sirius…I have a question."

"Hm?" he asked, looking at her. She bit her lip.

"What would happen to you if I died?" she asked and saw him still. He didn't like to think about that possibility, not at all.

"A part of me…would probably die with you." He answered truthfully.

"Sirius-"

"You're my life, Moria. I don't want to think about something like that. I don't like to think of that possibility." He said cupping her cheek gently in his hand. She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch.

"Yeah…neither do I."

* * *

Moria knocked gently on the door of the apartment that Remus lived in. As she suspected no answer was given. It felt like déjà vu. She had done the same with Chelsea…now with Remus. She entered the apartment and found him sitting at the dinner table. Geoffrey was playing nearby.

"Remus-"

"You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine." He interrupted. Moria shook her head.

"No you aren't." She said walking over to him, grabbing a chair and scooting it over next to him. He was silent.

"Remus…I know you aren't okay. You aren't even close to being okay. I personally know that."

"How is that?"

"…Remember I lost my parents, Remus. My mother died in my arms, and my father died shielding me. I know how you feel right now." She said. He looked away.

"You feel lost, angry, a lot of emotions that are swirling around you. But the most is guilt. Because you feel as though you didn't do anything, and now she isn't here to raise her son. Bryn wouldn't want you to be like that, Remus." She said. He shook slightly.

"It won't matter with Geoffrey. The Ministry is coming to take him tonight…"

"We'll find a way to get him to stay, Remus. You know that." Moria stated. Remus was silent, glancing at Geoffrey with watery eyes.

"It's been nearly a month since her funeral…I should feel some sort of closure. But I don't. I just feel like I'm in a nightmare, it doesn't feel real. I got over it…or at least as over it as I could when she 'died' the first time. I don't think I can get over it this time. I just keep flashing back to that…her weight on my back. And I can't stop shaking." He said. Moria looked down at the table, at his hands.

"Remus…I'll be honest with you. This pain. It won't ever go away…not completely. But it will lessen in time. But you have to be willing to let others help you through this." She stated. "Geoffrey will be there, we'll be there. I promise."

"What about you? Who helped you through your pain of losing your parents?" Remus asked looking at her. Moria offered a soft smile.

"At first…no one. Then for a brief time, Logan. But mainly…it was you, James, Sirius, Peter, Frank, Alice and Lily. It was several years late…" She concluded, with a slight smile. "But I finally managed to stop hurting myself over their deaths." She added. "Remus, let us help you now. Okay?" she asked, placing her hand over his. He offered a sad smile and she swallowed holding back her tears. He nodded and she saw a tear trail down his face.

"Okay."

There was a knock on the door and Moria spotted Remus flinching, his gaze going to the entrance. Both adults stood, Remus a bit more hesitantly. Geoffrey looked over at him, and Remus shook his head, forcing a smile, if only to calm the two year old. Geoffrey seemed to be soothed because he began to play with his toys again. As the two advanced, they heard other voices. These they recognized.

"What are Sirius and Chelsea doing…" Moria trailed off opening the door. They were greeted by a sight that surprised both of them. Sirius was now standing in front of the door, James and Lily on both of his sides. Chelsea seemed to be arguing with a toad-faced woman who looked like she had lost a battle with a pink clothes monster. Another Ministry worker was standing a few inches away from the pinky woman, watching the scene unfold. The other woman spotted Remus and smiled. Moria withheld a shiver. It was like looking at Malcolm smile in girl form. Or someone whose face had been punched in. Looking closely at the woman in the dim lighting, she would have to agree with the latter of the two options.

"Ah Mr. Lupin. Pleasure." The woman stated, though it was quite clear to everyone it was anything but. "Dolores Umbridge."

Remus was silent, but Moria could feel his temper darken and his posture stiffen. Chelsea looked incensed. "Remus, close the door." She ordered. Remus gave her a confused look, while Umbridge gave her a look as though she was a child in need of a scolding, before turning her gaze back to Remus, her smile like sour honey.

"Now, Mr. Lupin, I've come collect the child that is currently in your care. He will be placed in a safer environment."

There was a distinct cracking sound and Moria spotted the part of the door frame that was under Remus's hand breaking, and Remus's eyes flashed in warning. But it was Chelsea who surprisingly stepped in front of Umbridge, placing her hands on her hips and holding her ground.

"You will not collect _anyone_ from him. He is Geoffrey's legal guardian, and I expect him to be treated as such. And due to that, you legally can't take him away."

Umbridge's smile became forced now, and she looked about ready to tear off Chelsea's face. Moria looked at her friend curiously. What was she going on about?

"You seem to forget, Miss Cavendish, that Mr. Lupin here is a werewolf, therefore is a danger-"

"I would _NEVER_ hurt Geoffrey." Remus cut in harshly. Umbridge looked unimpressed.

"Nonetheless, the child will-"

"The child will not be going anywhere, Dolores." A new voice cut in, startling even her and the associate, who had slowly been pulling out his wand. They all turned to see Sylvia Cavendish and an older man. Umbridge seem to stiffen, her bulging and pouchy eyes widening.

"Mr. Shaw!" Umbridge breathed in surprise.

"Sylvia?" Moria asked at the same time, a look of confusion now on everyone's faces. "What are you doing here?"

It was then that Sylvia and Chelsea grinned broadly at the same time, almost mirroring each other.

"Dolores, may I ask why you went against my direct orders, and continued to try and uproot this child?" The man, apparently Shaw asked, his voice a gravelly mix of confusion and annoyance. Umbridge's face turned a shade of red.

"Sire, this half-breed is a werewolf. A danger!" She exclaimed. Both Sirius and James turned red at that, both having to literally clamp their mouths shut. "And according to the by-laws of Article 8 section 13 about Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, a werewolf is not permitted to gain guardianship of a child-"

"Unless of course, he or she is given permission by the other parent, as stated in section 14 of the article. Which Ms. Wainright did prior to her death, under the witness of me, my daughter, and several other Ministry officials." Sylvia interrupted; her voice a mix of coolness towards Umbridge, and amusement towards the toad's stupidity. "Likewise, had you read further than where you had gotten your answer, you would have discovered, that the law goes further into describing the care and precautions that would have to go along with a werewolf gaining guardianship of a child. One of which included who would care for the child during the full moon." She continued. Moria blinked and then grinned, looking at Chelsea, who merely winked. Remus looked stunned, blinking rapidly as though he was trying to make sure that this wasn't a dream.

"And as you can clearly see Dolores, Mr. Lupin has plenty of willing babysitters for the young Geoffrey." She continued. "And even if you managed to change the laws, due to the fact that Mr. Lupin has indeed gained guardianship of Geoffrey, you cannot cite him for being a guardian at this point." She added, almost in warning. At this point Dolores Umbridge's face had turned a bright red, mixed with a purplish tint. Everyone seemed surprised and amused. Shaw seemed to be annoyed.

"Mr. Shaw-"

"Dolores, I would like a word with you back in my office." The older man interrupted, before looking at Remus. Though the look of disgust was evident, there was a look of finality. "Please excuse us for the interruption of your night, Mr. Lupin. Good day." He stated. Before anyone else could respond, he, the irate Umbridge, and the other Ministry worker disaparrated. There was silence for several moments.

"How did you ever work with her, Mum?" Chelsea asked. "Five seconds and I wanted to tear that bow off and shove it up her arse."

"You develop a thick skin." Sylvia remarked, before looking at Remus, who had a stunned expression on his face. "Nonetheless, she is probably going to be reprimanded for her foolhardy attempt at gaining custody of Geoffrey. The Ministry will be leaving you alone on that case."

"How…why…"

"Bryn…seemed like she had a knack of knowing that something might happen to her. And she wanted Geoffrey to be raised by someone she trusted. And that would be you." Chelsea explained. "She asked a few weeks before she died if my mother could look into the laws."

"Bryn did…" Remus murmured, glancing back into the flat. Moria smiled and then moved out of the doorway, going to Sirius's side.

"We'll leave you alone tonight Remus." She suggested. "So you and Geoffrey can get settled." She added. "We'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

Remus nodded slowly, unable to speak. Within a few seconds his friends, who all had grins on their face, disapparated away as well, leaving him staring at an empty hall. Slowly he closed the door and slid down to the ground, shaking.

"Dada?"

He looked up and offered a teary smile at the little boy who was observing him from behind the kitchen counter. He raised his arms.

"Come here, pup." He offered. Geoffrey didn't hesitate and toddled over to him, gripping him tightly and rubbing his cheek into the soft wool of Remus's sweater. His thumb came up and went into his mouth and he contently lay there, clutching onto his new guardian. Remus offered a rough laugh, before standing.

Leave it to Bryn to think of everything.

**NOW PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY GOING TO COMMENT ABOUT HOW REMUS REACTED WITH TEDDY, AND HOW THIS IS SO 'UNCHARACTERISTIC' OF HIS CHARACTER. HERE'S MY EXPLANATION FOR IT. REMUS PANICKED WITH TEDDY BECAUSE TEDDY IS OF HIS BLOOD, THEREFORE THE RISK OF BEING A WEREWOLF IS MUCH HIGHER FOR TEDDY. FOR GEOFFREY THE RISK ISN'T THERE IN THAT ASPECT. SO REMUS IS NOW THE GUARDIAN OF GEOFFREY.  
**

**GEOFFREY WILL BE HAVING A LARGE PART INVOLVING TONKS :)**

**THE LATIN MEANS 'FIND THE ONE WHO IS IN NEED, GUIDE US TO THEIR DESTINATION' THE SPELL WILL ONLY BE USED ONCE OR TWICE THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE STORY. WHILE IT IS A DECENT SPELL THERE ARE FLAWS TO IT, WHICH WILL BE SEEN LATER. AND TARDUS IUGUOLO MEANS 'SLOW KILL'.**

******READ AND REVIEW PLEASE :)**


	15. THE SCARS WE GAIN

Moria stood in front of the door of the hospital room in shock as she stared at the woman. She withheld a groan as she finally figured out why her higher-ups had been smirking. Walburga Black now sat there in the room again. _"Of fucking course."_ She thought to herself dryly. They would do this. They had been angry at her ever since she had gotten into an argument with them over staying with Sirius when he had been injured. Giving her meaningless jobs ever since then.

Now it seemed that their payback had gone a step further.

"Mrs. Black." Moria called out in a neutral tone. The look she received made it obvious that, once again, Walburga didn't recognize her. Still she kept her guard up. "Healer Prescott. Now you came in complaining about stomach pains, correct?

A mumble was heard, and she took it as a yes. She began to list out some procedures and other items that she would need to do. But it seemed Walburga had not heard a word.

"Sirius Orion Black!" She hissed out suddenly and Moria jumped, turning to look at the door, half expecting to see her boyfriend standing there. But he wasn't. The door was closed. She looked back at the matriarch of the Black family confused. "How many times have I told you to stop fidgeting?!"

Oh great. She was a loon now. Moria nearly laughed, wondering what Sirius would have thought, sitting here right now.

"Oh when we get home, you are seeing your father. Maybe he'll finally be able to smack some sense in you. You keep at it, and you'll be getting the belt again."

Moria froze at that comment, staring at her in shock as the older woman continued to rant and rave at the invisible Sirius. She forced the growing lump down, as she continued the examination, keeping her temper in check. Finally the examination was over and Moria handed a slip of paper, which had the prescription on it.

"Take this to the other healer in charge of potions, and she'll give you a remedy." She explained. Oddly enough, Walburga was compliant. Apparently she still hadn't recognized Moria. Moria stared at the closing door, still stunned by what she had learned.

Sirius had never mentioned anything like that to her…but maybe it had only been empty threats. He would have told her if his parents had done something like that…wouldn't he?

"_You didn't. Why would he?"_ A voice questioned in a patronizing tone. She swallowed roughly and quickly finished up with her notes before walking away.

* * *

Sirius perked up when he heard the door open and then close, going for his wand.

"Cool it dog-boy. It's me. Or do I need to remind you of the female dog last week that followed you all over the place trying to get you to hump her?" Moria commented. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Of all the memories you have to drag back up, it had to be that one."

"Hey, it was funny in my opinion." Moria remarked as he wrapped his arms around her waist, claiming her mouth with a kiss. He bit the bottom of her lip, eliciting a groan.

"Missed me?" She whispered in question, her voice breathy. He smiled against her mouth.

"Oh you have no idea. How was work?" He asked. She paused.

"…Met your mother again." She remarked. He frowned and looked at her, almost to see if she was hurt. "She didn't recognize me. I guess she's regressed mentally to the point where she hasn't met me yet. So she was just talking to herself."

"Oh joy." He remarked sarcastically. "What was she talking about?" He asked turning to get some food. She hesitated.

"Your mother was yelling at what she perceived to be you…and apparently you had angered her."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"…she said that you were going to be talking to your dad when you got home, and that she hoped that he would smack some sense into you…and that you_ might_ be getting the belt again." She continued, her voice soft. He stilled, his hand on an apple. "Did…did they ever actually do that to you? Hit you, I mean?" she finally asked, her voice wavering a bit as she observed him. He was quiet, and then sighed rubbing the back of his head. That was enough of an answer.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Because it was different than what happened to you."

"It was still abuse Sirius." She replied. "Just because I haven't gone through anything since I was eight doesn't mean I don't know what abuse is."

"I know that." He remarked, walking over to her and cupping her cheek. "I wasn't trying to deny that it wasn't. But I wasn't going to talk about what happened behind closed doors at my parents' house when, what I went through when I was twelve till I was sixteen, was nothing compared to the few years that you had to live with your uncle. Sure I got smacked around a bit." He added. "I didn't exactly help my situation when it came to avoiding punishments."

She was silent, observing him. "Still…"

"Moria." He interrupted, pulling her to him and settling her between his legs, himself leaning against the sofa. "I know. I'm over it alright. Honestly it didn't bother me back then…"

"Didn't bother you?"

"Because I knew that I was going to be going back to Hogwarts. Where I had people who cared about me. I had James, Remus. I had you." He added and watched as she blushed. "That was good enough for me. I knew I wasn't going to change for them."

"…can I ask you something?"

"Sure…" he remarked, though he had a feeling he knew what it was about. She bit her lower lip, hesitating.

"…They never…I mean…did they leave…scars?" She asked, her voice timid. He was quiet, debating on actually telling her the truth. It would hurt her most likely to know the real truth. But…sighing, he gently guided her hand to his hip, running it against a short area of raised skin. He watched her eyes widen slightly. He offered a ruthful smile.

"Dad got a bit too angry one time. Didn't even realize I was bleeding till later. Hey…" He soothed when he saw her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "It's alright. I'm fine. See? No harm done."

"…why didn't you ever tell me."

"As bad as it is going to sound…I forgot." He remarked. She gave him a dubious stare, rolling her eyes.

"Only you…" She remarked and he gave her a lopsided grin.

"What can I say, I forget anything about me when I'm with you."

"You're insufferable."

"You know it."

* * *

"Sirius wasn't too happy about not being able to come along."

Moria glanced over her shoulder, snapping out of her thoughts, but still remained righted on her broom. Wulfric was flying next to her as she offered a slight grin.

"Sirius is never exactly the happiest when he doesn't come along."

"He that protective over you?"

Moria held back a grin. There were multiple…multiple reasons that Sirius didn't enjoy not coming along. Half of them she probably couldn't tell her uncle. "Of course." She replied. Wulfric was silent, and once again the awkward quiet that had been prominent throughout the patrol. Currently they were over the Thetford Forest.

"Moria."

"Hm?" She asked, looking over to him again.

"…About your mother-"

A spell shot past Moria's head, missing it by mere inches. Moria and him swung around, pulling their wands out. There had to be at least four Deatheaters. Apparently they had been hidden for a little bit, but, upon realizing that the pair wasn't going to lead them anywhere, had decided it was time to cut down two enemies.

Moria veered to the right, two of the four splitting off to follow her. Wulfric threw several stun spells towards the Deatheaters, managing to hit one and coldly watching as the one fell off his broom plummeting downward. He darted forward, the other Deatheater following him as he angled towards the forest below. In his peripherals he saw that Moria was doing the exact opposite, shooting upwards into the sky, most likely to use it as a cloak. He finally reached where the treetops were, and began to weave between them. He could feel hexes and spells flying past him. Gritting his teeth he swung around and aimed.

"Stupefy!" He called out. It seemed luck was with him as the spell slammed right into the chest of the Deatheater, and watched as coolly as the last one as he fell. That one may have actually survived. He glanced over and saw Moria was returning over to him. "What happened to the two on your tail?"

"Ah, I just transfigured them." Moria remarked nonchalantly.

"You…what?"

Moria lifted up a jar, a mischievous grin on her face. In the jar, he observed, was a centipede and a spider. "James may have been one of the best male students in McGonagall's class, but I was the best girl in her class." She remarked, tossing him the jar. "So I made sure that they didn't escape."

"…remind me to never piss you off." He remarked. She grinned and opened her mouth as though she was about to say something. Then it was as though reality had slowed.

A fifth Deatheater appeared behind Moria several feet away. Wulfric made a motion to shove her out of the way, but he had been too slow; too unprepared. He could almost hear Moody yelling at him about constant vigilance in the back of his mind, something he normally would have done, but it was dwarfed as a green light shot out and slammed into Moria's back. Her smile disappeared, and her eyes widened in surprise before darkening and glazing over. She pitched forward, sliding off of the broom and plummeting to the ground.

Then reality sped up. He pitched down, reaching desperately for her limp arm, managing to grab her wand, but barely able to snatch her wrist. The sea of trees was getting closer and closer with each passing second. "Dammit!" He roared and pulled her up, just as he crashed into the first tree, the force causing him to pitch off of the broom. And so he continued to fall, Moria plummeted next to him. He barely had time to pull her to him and shield her before he landed onto the ground with a hard jolt, winding him. Moria was still limp, but he heard her take a shaky breath.

Despite the situation right then, he let out a grunt of relief. She hadn't been hit by the killing curse.

"Moria." He wheezed. "Come on kid." He shifted, sitting up, his gaze turning to the sky. There wasn't anyone in the air anymore…but that didn't entail that they were out of danger. "We have to get moving. No telling…" He trailed off as he shifted her and to his surprise she groaned in pain. He glanced down and saw that his front looked as though it had been dyed red. His gaze slowly traveled to her back and he felt his heart plummet.

It was stained red, growing larger with each second. "Moria…" he whispered, shifting her to where she was resting on her stomach. He hesitated. He should first get help…but with the amount of blood she was losing, there wasn't any guarantee that anyone would arrive on time. And he knew next to nothing on healing charms. There was that one method…but it would undoubtedly leave a scar.

"_A scar or her life…which is it?"_ A voice asked and he bit his lip. Silently, begging for forgiveness he shifted her shirt up and froze, staring at her back, the scars that were already etched across her skin. How had those come to be there? Who had put them there? What-

He shook his head to clear it. He would deal with those questions later. Instead he focused on the bleeding wound that ran down her lower spine. Blood was slowly sliding down it, dripping onto the ground. He bit his lower lip.

"Forgive me." He whispered, pointing his wand at her back.

"Incendio."

* * *

"What's up with you?" James asked as he and Sirius walked around the Potter home, trying to calm Harry who had just awoken from a nap crying. Lily was currently busy at the Order's headquarters. Sirius shrugged.

"Just worried about Moria, I guess."

"I really think you're overreacting." James remarked. "I doubt Wulfric would let anyone kill her. And she can take care of herself."

"I don't really like thinking that Wulfric is with her." Sirius retorted. "He honestly has been on my nerves ever since we met him."

"That's just because of Moria and his connection and you're still bitter about that…which in hindsight doesn't really make a lot of sense." James replied. "It really should be Moria who's bitter about the whole thing. Yet she's willing to forgive him. Why aren't you?"

"You didn't see her when she found out. It was like someone had pulled out her heart and stomped on it." Sirius remarked. "And they disowned her mother for the stupidest reason."

"Coming from the bloke who got disowned by his parents."

"Hey, I got disowned for having different beliefs than my parents. They disowned her because they didn't agree with her career choice."

"Honestly Padfoot, I think you're thinking too much about this." James remarked. "If Moria is willing to put some trust in the Ellesmere's, you should as well."

Sirius opened his mouth to make a reply, but was stopped when they heard the popping sound of someone apparating in, and then hurried footsteps. Sirius's hand went to his wand, but Lily ran into the room. Her face was pale, her green eyes wide.

"What? What is it?" James asked.

"Moria and Wulfric were attacked on patrol." She remarked. "Moria's injured and-"

The rest of Lily's explanation died out as Sirius stared at her with a fathomless expression, the dull roar suddenly growing to where it was virtually impossible to hear anything.

* * *

She was slow to awaken, and dully she opened her eyes, blinking. She was staring at sky filled with pine trees…wait that didn't make sense. She blinked again and realized that she was staring upwards, the pine trees bare due to the beginnings of winter.

"Can you move your legs and arms?"

She turned her head slightly to see Wulfric sitting there, a wand in both hands. He wasn't wearing his jacket she noticed.

"Pardon?"

"Your arms and legs…can you move them?" He asked. She shifted each limb slightly, and watched as his face shifted to that of a relieved one.

"Thank God…" He murmured. "That means there wasn't any damage to your spine. Whatever spell that you were hit with…it looked as though someone had ripped out a chunk of your skin…and I couldn't think of any other way to stop the bleeding, and-"

"Wulfric…you're rambling." She interrupted.

"I had to castrate the bleeding." He finally explained. "So I burned it closed. It's a bit barbaric…and the method left a scar."

"…I'll manage with it." She remarked with a slight grin as she glanced down and saw her midsection covered in his coat. "I have enough scars on there, one more won't matter. Though it looks like I owe you a coat."

"It'll be fine. It was an old one." He replied off-handedly. It was a lie. That one was nearly brand new, but it was a price to pay to keep her safe from infection. "I sent out a patronus a little while ago. It should have arrived at the Headquarters by now, but we should probably get moving."

"Sirius is going to kill me." She added softly as he helped her up, and she winced as pain traveled up her spine.

"Why?"

"Because I got hurt…again." She remarked. He offered a slight snort as he picked her up, causing her to blush.

"I can-"

"I don't want you tearing your wound open." He replied as he pulled her on his back. "I'll live." She offered a glare as a retort, but gave no verbal response. So he continued walking, her on his back, in silence.

"…How'd you get the other scars?"

She was startled out her silence. Wulfric was silent, waiting for answer and Moria bit her lip.

"You met my uncle Malcolm…" She murmured. He stilled for a second.

"He gave those to you?"

"…when I was younger." She replied. "That's why Sirius and my friends were so protective over me when it comes to him."

"…why?"

"Because I existed." Moria responded. She felt Wulfric stiffen. "Don't worry about it. It's the past."

"We should have been there." Wulfric remarked softly. She was silent.

"What was my mother like…when she was younger?" She asked, trying to change the topic. He offered a smile.

"She was…well…a wild child. Never let the rules hold her down." He explained. "She was always hanging in some tree rather than taking the time to learn proper tea etiquette. Never afraid to speak her mind." She laughed at that description.

"That sounds like her."

"How did she meet your father?"

"Oh that's a long story…" She began but stopped when they heard the sound of tree branches snapping, and then frantic calling.

"Moria! Moria!"

"Sirius…" Moria breathed. Wulfric smiled slightly before letting her down, her leaning heavily on him. The footsteps grew louder and within seconds they were surrounded by Order members. Sirius was pale, making his grey eyes stand out even more. Moria offered a pained smile as he hurried over.

"Aren't we supposed to ask questions, dogboy?" She whispered as he pulled her to him.

"You hate waffles, but you'll force them down if we're in front of other people." He whispered and she let out a laugh, before wincing and gripping her back. He looked at her concerned, then at Wulfric.

"She got hit by some sort of cutting curse…and I had to close the wound."

"You…what?!" Sirius growled out, his face contorting in anger. Her grip tightened on his sleeve, stopping him.

"Sirius, it's okay." She whispered. "He saved my life."

"I suggest she goes to Mungo's though." Wulfric added. "I don't know how well it closed."

Sirius was silent, looking at Wulfric as he tangled his hand into Moria's hair, pulling her close, kissing her temple and nodded. She closed her eyes, and allowed the darkness to spread. She was safe right then. That was all that mattered.

* * *

Harry and Neville were currently gurgling happily as they attempted to crawl after Moria who was in her fox form. She paused allowing them to catch up, going to move again as they neared. Harry however got to her and managed to snag her tail, causing her to pause and look over at him. He gurgled happily as she watched him before he gave her tail a tug, causing her to yelp and gain the attention of Lily and Alice.

"Harry…what did I say about yanking Aunt Moria's tail?" Lily asked picking up Harry, who babbled incoherently at his mother. "You okay Moria?" she asked as Moria transformed back into a human, rubbing her ponytail and nodded.

"Kid's got quite a grip."

"I know. He enjoys grabbing James's glasses all the time."

"I think you have a Seeker in the making, Lily." Moria joked and Lily groaned.

"James has been saying the exact same thing for over a week now." She said.

"Hey, you have a husband, his best friend, and one of your best friends who were on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. What were you expecting?" Moria asked, jokingly.

"Har har." Lily said with a small teasing smile on her face. "Why don't you and Sirius focus on making your own kid to train into a Quidditch member?" She asked and saw Moria's face turn red.

"If I let him have his way…I'll be having my own team." She grumbled and both Lily and Alice laughed.

"Seriously? How many kids is that?"

"Seven, not counting stand in's." Moria sighed with a slight smile on her face.

"Wait…do you want seven kids?" Alice asked, incredulous.

"Hm? I don't know. Probably not. Sort of hard to plan for kids when you aren't even married yet." Moria said with a shrug.

"Well that git better marry you soon, or he's going to be having a conversation with us." Lily warned.

"Nothing screams 'you better marry her' like two best friends staring him down." Alice concluded and Moria laughed.

"Yeah…well…we better see how the war is going…you know how one track Sirius gets."

"You're still not bitter about not going on missions lately, are you?"

"What do you think?"

"I think that considering you passed out and gave nearly gave Sirius and everyone a heart attack, not going on missions is a good thing."

"But it's boring." She complained. Lily and Alice rolled her eyes.

"I wonder about you. So much."

"Aw, thank you Lily." She teased with a smile and watched as the two grinned before picking up their sons. Once again a twinge of loneliness plagued her, but she kept smiling.

It was the least she could do.

* * *

Moria was humming softly to herself, making a small meal. Once again she was eating by herself. Another mission…another night by herself. It was getting to become annoying on how many missions took Sirius away for several days. In all honesty she should be there. The phantom twinge that shot through her back was enough of a reminder that she was in no shape to do so.

She could still remember waking back up to Sirius's blood drained face in Mungo's with virtually no memory of how she got here. The back wound had been bad enough and Wulfric's healing hadn't exactly helped, but it had stopped her from bleeding out, so she was grateful for that, even if Sirius had refused to talk to Wulfric since then. Still the missions felt awful when she was one of the ones waiting on the sidelines. It seemed like every mission it was getting worse.

"_It's going to get bad before it gets better."_ She reminded herself, but it still didn't make her feel any better. She sighed and began to munch on the bowl of cereal she had made. She hadn't eaten more than two spoonful's when the sound of the door opening had her going on the defensive. She withdrew her wand and aimed it at the foyer. Sirius barely managed to stop before nearly walking into a hex.

"Bloody hell Moria! It's me!" he said lifting his hands up in surrender. She however, didn't lower her wand.

"What was the first thing that 'Sirius' said to me when he saw my animagus form?" She asked. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"I commented on how short you were in comparison to my form, to which you got extremely annoyed and I called you cute. Do I have to go farther, because after that involved the bed." He asked, wiggling his eyebrows with a grin plastered on his face.

"How did you find out about me being a said animagus?"

"You four were being idiots and discussing the fact that you may have revealed to me that you were an animagus in front of an open door." She responded with a smirk.

"Ouch…such a mean vixen you are." He grumbled, walking into the kitchen as pocketed her wand and hugged him.

"Sorry."

"Babe, don't apologize. Considering I told you to do that." He said with a smile, kissing her temple. She smiled gently. "How's your back?"

"It's fine, Mum." She grumbled, watching as he pulled off his jacket, before he walked back over to her, pulling her close. "You came home early." She commented as he kissed the side of her neck.

"That I did. I missed you. Last time I saw you awake was…about two days ago." He commented and she closed her eyes as he kissed the crook of her neck.

"I-is it?" she stammered out, trying to keep her tone normal, but apparently he heard the slight stammer and he smirked, before flinching as he moved. She looked at him, her flushed expression mixing in with a look of concern.

"You're hurt."

"It's only a few bruises."

She stared at him for several seconds and then rolled her eyes, before grabbing his wrist and pulling him to the bedroom.

"I like where this is going." He teased. She rolled her eyes.

"Is your head always in the gutter?"

"When it involves you…" he trailed off as she let out a low laugh.

"As flattering as that is, I'm more going to try to get out the kinks that are currently in you."

"Kinks?" He asked as she turned.

"You've been limping since you got here."

"I told you. They're just bruises."

"I do happen to have experience with loosening stiff muscles." She remarked and then paused. "Granted most of the time that involved me…but you get the idea."

"Moria-"

"Just lie down, you idiot." She ordered. "On your stomach, preferably."

"Alright, alright. Geez. Bossy type, aren't you?"

"You love me anyways." She teased as he complied. He withheld a groan as his stomach hit the comforter. It felt like it had been years since he had touched a bed and not been resting on the ground or a tree.

"I'll start with your back."

"Just don't paralyze me."

"I am actually good at this, Sirius Black." She remarked in a teasing tone. He felt the bed dip slightly under her weight, almost careful so she wouldn't jar him. "In any case, tell me if I hurt you."

He was going to remark something teasing, but stopped with a sharp inhale as her hands started on his shoulders, gently over the bruises, more firmly over knotted muscles. She sighed softly as he made a low groan and glanced at him.

"You overdid it, didn't you?"

He only grunted, closing his eyes and letting his body reap the pleasure of her stroking hands. He felt a brush of the flannel pajama bottoms against his skin when she shifted. It shouldn't have been remotely sexy, and it shouldn't have turned him on…but it seemed that it did a rather unique effect on him. Drifting through his senses was her subtle scent…which was not helping him remain calm at all.

"Better?"

"No. You're killing me. Don't stop."

Her laugh was low and soft as she eased her hands lower, pressing competent finger low on his spine. "I'm trying to make you feel better, Sirius. You have to relax for me to do this right."

"You're doing just fine." He groaned as her hands moved lower, circling, kneading. Then her lips skimmed his neck, whisper soft.

"Aw…and here you were worried I was going to paralyze you." She teased, her breathing becoming labored. "Turn over." She whispered. "I'll do the rest."

Her lips were there to meet his when he shifted, and he claimed them, pulling her close to him. Everything else beforehand seemed to be forgotten as probed and touched, and before she could react, he had shoved her onto her back, trapping her in between his arms.

"Missed me?" he asked, his voice rough and strained and she narrowed her eyes, her expression stamped with triumph.

"What do you think?" she asked and he smirked, before kissing her soundly on the mouth. She moaned softly, pulling herself closer. "Correct that…I really missed you." She murmured and he chuckled.

"Well…I know where this is headed." She murmured.

"Is that a complaint?"

"No…just an observation." She murmured as he kissed her collarbone.

"Good, because Merlin I've missed you. It's been what? Nearly two weeks?"

"Three." She gasped out. "Three weeks." She managed to say and he let out an animalistic growl.

"That's been way too long for me." He growled out causing her to shudder slightly. He fastened his mouth hungrily on hers, rediscovering the curves of her body that he had missed for three weeks.

"You missed me that much?" She joked in a strained voice as he pulled her pants down and off. He chuckled, though it sounded rough. He pulled at her shirt and waited long enough for her to pull it off, before kissing her again. She made a soft whining sound, arching upwards to be close to him.

"Oh you have no idea." He said, pulling his own pants down and off. "I don't think I can take it slow." He said. She didn't mind. She didn't need for him to take it slow. She needed _him_, and she held out her arms for him. He spread her thighs and mounted her, controlling himself just long enough to slow his entry so he wouldn't hurt her, and with a low cry of pleasure took him into her body.

They lay in bed the rest of the day, making love and talking, but mostly just holding each other and reveling in each other's nearness. She had missed him so much. After Bryn's death it made her feel…vulnerable for some reason. Made her realize how vulnerable they all were.

"So…how's the war been? Since you know…I've been stuck here." She asked sometime late at night. He lay on his back with one arm thrown above his face, slightly drowsy, but his eyes opened at her question.

"You know it's for your own good right?"

"Just because I know that I'm not allowed, doesn't mean I'm not curious."

"…Crouch is allowing Auror's to use Unforgivable Curses when we're against Deatheaters, thankfully I haven't had a specific need to use one. On the plus side, a good majority of Giants have left the Deatheaters. Our last attack that we were in, Moody killed Evan Rosier and Wilkes."

"Did any of you get injured?"

"No. Moody got a bit of his nose blown off, but other than that everyone is fine. Almost got hit by the Cruciatus Curse though." He said offhand and felt her move in alarm. "Easy Moria, it missed me by a mile. They were just throwing out curses trying to give themselves some time." He said softly.

"You could have died Sirius." She said, shuddering at the thought.

"No I wouldn't. No way am I ever going to die and leave you behind." He said, turning his head on the pillow and looked at her, a soft glow in her eyes, the glow that only he could produce. He never wanted to see that light go out. He reached out to touch her cheek. "I love you Moria Prescott." He said softly.

She laughed. "I love you too Sirius Black."

"Now then…" he murmured, rolling onto her.

She caught her breath. "Now then."

* * *

"How hard can it be to kill a little brat?! We even have you spying on them for us and we still are no closer at finding him." A deatheater hissed out glaring at the portly figure in the shadows that flinched as though he was being beaten.

"It's not my fault. Moria-!"

"Again with that excuse. You're afraid of a mere **halfbreed**?" the Deatheater asked. Another Deatheater shook his head.

"The rat has a point. Prescott managed to nearly kill five of our men a few months ago, and beat two of them just last month. Without spells. We have to find her weakness." The other Deatheater said and the first man grumbled. The man in the shadows, despite his current situation, chuckled.

"Oh I already know her weakness. Black."

"The blood traitor? What about him?" the first Deatheater asked. The second smirked.

"Ah…that's right. She's **his** whore. Two birds with one stone I'd imagine. Good job…rat. You don't die today. But we first need to separate them." He said. The man in the shadows smirked.

"Leave that to me."


	16. BOUND BY THE CHAINS

Sirius was quiet as he entered the flat, closing and locking the door, finally relaxing.

"How's Remus?"

The whisper startled him and he turned, almost pulling out his wand. He paused when he saw it was Moria holding the asleep Geoffrey in her arms, the two year olds head resting on her shoulder, completely out of it. He relaxed immediately.

"He's fine. A bit worried about Geoffrey since he wasn't feeling well the whole day." Sirius remarked with a tired smile. "That was the first thing out of his mouth."

"Geoffrey is perfectly fine. He had just a little head cold. He cried for a while though. Wanted Remus, I guess."

"Two peas in a pod." Sirius remarked with a tired grin and she smiled. "Why don't you go lie down? I'll drop off little mini-me with Remus."

"You sure he's up to it?"

"Remus and him will both sleep better knowing that one another is fine." Sirius remarked, kissing her forehead. She made a murmuring sound and then nodded. Slowly he wiggled Geoffrey's grip off of Moria's shirt, allowing the toddler to settle on his own chest. The two year old made a mumbled comment, open his eyes a fraction before falling back into a slumber, clutching the small plush toy he had gotten from his mother before her death.

He offered a slight smile, before looking at Moria. "Go lie down, love."

"Alright, alright, Black." She remarked tiredly, beginning to yawn. He kissed her into silence and then turned, apparating away. As he landed, Geoffrey made a small whine of discontent. He didn't like side-along apparition. At all.

"Sorry Pup." He apologized as he walked quietly to the flat where he, James, and Peter had helped Remus in a little while ago. He knocked quietly. Several minutes later, the door opened slowly, revealing a heavily bandaged Remus, who looked at him tiredly. A part of him wanted to tease him about being so slow, but really this wasn't appropriate at that moment. Instead he shrugged his shoulder that Geoffrey was currently resting his head on.

"Kid delivery." He teased. "Asleep and ready to go home."

"How is he?" Remus asked tiredly, as Sirius shifted his hold and placed the toddler to Remus, who winced at the sudden weight on his screaming muscles. But he ignored it as he bounced Geoffrey slightly.

"Moria gave him a clean bill of health." Sirius responded. "Now you two should both get some sleep. I for one am heading back…doubt the girlfriend would be too happy if I didn't show up."

Remus snorted slightly, stopping when Geoffrey stirred. "Tell Moria I said thank you."

"Gladly." Sirius replied and turned, darkness and a whirl of images greeting him as he apparated away. He stumbled as he landed, slightly dizzy. Three times in a row of apparating was bound to do that. Shaking his head he rubbed the bridge of his nose to make the room stop spinning, he walked to the bedroom and paused, staring at the sleeping form that lay there.

Moria looked so calm in her sleep, as though nothing bad was going on outside these walls. And he would keep it like that, if only to see her safe and happy. He withheld a chuckle as she forcibly began to kick at the comforter, freeing her left leg, which curved above it. He pulled off his shirt, the tired feeling returning full swing not even fighting the yawn that tore through his system as he pulled off his jeans and pulled on the pair of sweatpants. Scratching his head, he sat on his side of the bed, flopping down and exhaling. He had barely managed to get comfortable, when he felt her scoot over towards him, her back resting just near his arm. He turned slightly, observing, even in the dim morning light, her scars.

Gently he began to trace each one slowly, stopping when he finally landed on the newest scar to adorn her back. It was etched along her spine, burned onto there like a brand. While a part of him understood and forgave Wulfric for doing what he did, another part was bitter. Yet another scar on her back. Another testament to her life that she had been struggling through. Hadn't she earned enough scars? She shifted again, but other than made no sign that she was awake as her fidgeting slowly stopped, her breathing slowing further as her body completely relaxed. He grinned tiredly, kissing her neck, before sleep finally took its hold on him as well.

* * *

Moria slowly woke up, shifting slightly under the sheets. She was exhausted, as she had been for nearly two weeks. She grumbled pulling the covers over her head, squirming as she felt a hand skim her waist, pulling her towards the owner of the arm. She made a soft sound as her back pressed into warmth.

"Come on sleepyhead, time to get up." She heard Sirius say.

"Don't want to." She murmured and he heard her chuckle before kissing the back of her neck gently.

"Come on love…you need to eat." He continued.

"Do I have to?"

"It's sort of necessary to eat if you're a human."

"Yeah…well…considering I haven't been able to keep it in my stomach…eating isn't my favorite activity right now." She retorted dryly and he frowned.

"You should probably see a healer."

"Nah…I probably just caught something at work, Sirius. I'll be fine in a day or two." She murmured, sitting up. He looked at her.

"And if you aren't?" he asked.

"If I'm not, then I will get checked out." She concluded and saw him relax slightly before he kissed her cheek.

"You know, if I did indeed catch something, you could get sick too."

"Well I am in love with a healer." He joked and she laughed.

"That is true." She said kissing his cheek gently, before kissing him fully on the mouth. He smirked.

"Hey Moria?"

"Hm?" she asked looking at him.

"There's been something I've been mean-!" he tried to say but his pager went off and he groaned inwardly. James had been right. That infernal device was good at sensing when the mood was shifting. He picked it up and then groaned for real this time. Auror's were being called. Yet ANOTHER raid.

"I have to go." He grumbled, kissing her gently. She smirked.

"Well…have fun." She said. "I'll see you later." She added and like that he dispparated away. Moria sighed and flopped back onto the bed, sighing loudly.

"Maybe five more minutes." She groused but knew full well that there was no way she would make it to five minutes.

* * *

Sirius grumbled as he followed James, who looked at him, amused.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing…bloody pager has some crappy timing." Sirius complained and James laughed.

"Don't I know it. So you ask her yet?"

"I was about to when the bloody pager went off." Sirius shot back and James laughed.

"Ah the dreaded pager…You can ask her when we get back."

"Yeah…but did you hear Moody?" Sirius asked in complaint. "This might take a while…with more than one raids." He complained.

"Oh come on Padfoot. Relax. She'll say yes." James said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah…" Sirius murmured absently. He just felt as though something bad was going to happen. But what could possibly happen?

She was safe and at the moment so was he.

There was going to be nothing wrong.

* * *

Moria's vision swam slightly as she read another file at Mungo's. She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Was she that tired?

"Moria?" she heard someone ask and looked up to see Chelsea staring at her, concern.

"Hm?"

"Are you okay? You're really pale." Chelsea asked. Moria shrugged.

"I'm just tired." Moria replied. "I'll be fine." She added but Chelsea looked unconvinced. Moria ignored her and continued filing. Suddenly the world seemed to spin and Moria's vision went black for several seconds. Next thing she knew, Chelsea was supporting her and placed the files down on the nearby desk, dragging her to a seat.

"Okay you aren't fine."

"But-"

"Why don't you head back home, okay? It's not that busy right now, so I can work the last part of your shift." Chelsea concluded and Moria sighed, rubbing her head.

"Maybe you're right." Moria murmured.

"Do you need help?" Chelsea asked and Moria glared at her.

"I'll be FINE Chelsea. I'm sick, not dying." Moria retorted, annoyed and got up, fighting the wave of dizziness that flooded her system, before heading to the locker room, sighing to herself in exasperation. If Sirius found out she had nearly fainted, he was going to have a heart attack, she thought dryly as she unbuttoned the healer robes, slipping them off and grabbed her shirt, pulling it on. Suddenly the atmosphere changed, as though someone had entered. But she hadn't heard the door…

"Hello?" She called out looking around. She went to the corner and looked around the locker room. It was empty. "Hm…strange." She murmured and turned around to go collect her things. She stopped when she spotted a small piece of parchment lying on her knapsack. That hadn't been there before…had it?

She stared at it, dumbfounded. Quickly she pulled on her jeans and then picked up the paper, opening it to read. So involved in reading it, she failed to notice a small form scurry around the corner. She read the hurried writing and felt her stomach drop, her heart began to beat faster, and she felt as though she was going to faint again.

"_**Need help. Go to address below.**_

_**-Sirius."**_

She read the address and then hurriedly rushed out of Mungo's barely managing to act calm as she passed by the main office. She scarcely made it out of Mungo's before apparating away. She didn't notice a figure standing in the alleyway, nor did she see the figure smirk.

The trick had work.

The trap had been set.

* * *

Moria stumbled slightly as she landed, her nerves strung, her adrenaline rushing. That idiot better be okay, if he wasn't, so help her, she was going to-!

The place was empty.

Moria blinked and looked at the paper again. Yup, it was the right address. She sighed, shoving the parchment back into her pocket. Maybe the fight ended and he was already ho-!

It happened too fast.

Something crashed behind her and she heard a cat yowl as though its tail had been stepped on. She went to turn, aim her wand. Something slammed into the back of her head and she made a strangled sound—not quite a scream, not quite a yelp and pitched forward. Tiny explosions rocketed through her head and her vision turned a blinding light, before the edges of her sight began to fade into darkness. She felt the ground connect with her body, her wand kicked out of her hand.

She tried to reach for it, but it was like her hand had become submerged in drying concrete. She tried to speak, but it felt like her voice box had been ripped out. She only managed to weakly look up and see three figures standing over her, think that she was now in deep trouble, before she welcomed the darkness and lost consciousness.

* * *

"_Wake up."_

"_Wake up, Prescott. Time to say hello."_

Voices swirled around her, until finally she relented and opened her eyes a crack, scrunching her eyes shut as a bright light temporarily blinded her, letting out a small curse.

"Oh look, she's awake." A voice said and she finally opened her eyes, looking around. Three or four men had surrounded her. She couldn't see her faces and realized that they had masks on.

Deatheaters.

A cold hard lump settled in her stomach, and she knew she was in deep, deep trouble.

She felt at her wrists and found chains tightly wrapped around them, her arms forced above her head, the chain receding into the darkness, her back pressed against a cold concrete wall. She knew she had been positioned like this for a while as her fingers had gone numb, and blood was slow to rise there. A shadowed figure stepped forward, and even though she couldn't see his face, she could _feel_ him leering at her.

"Why hello, Moria Prescott. It felt like it's been so long. When was the last time we saw you? A few years, maybe?" One of them asked. She kept silent, staring at the ground. Apparently that angered the one who had spoken because he grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her head up. She winced but other than that made no sound or movement.

"You're going to be answering some of our questions, Ms. Prescott. Now we can do this the easy way, or we can do it a hard painful way. It's your choice." The man spat out. Moria breathed in deeply and dug her fingers into the palm of her hands before spitting into the man's face. He withdrew as though she had just thrown acid onto him. Her eyes narrowed

"Fuck…you..." She growled out. Another Deatheater chuckled.

"Boy this is going to be fun."

***EVIL LAUGH* ANYHOO, READ AND REVIEW PLEASE :)  
**


	17. CRACKS IN STONE

_**TWO DAYS**_

There was a broken pipe somewhere, constantly dripping. She had been keeping track of the numbers of drips that fell.

_181…182…183…_

"You know if you just tell us our answers, we'll let you go." Moria heard, and slowly looked up glaring at the Deatheater. She couldn't really do anything but glare. She didn't have her wand; they had wards up that stopped her from both transforming into her animagus and from apparating. She was defenseless.

"That's a load of crap." Moria retorted. The Deatheater withdrew a knife brandishing it against her cheek, pressing it just hard enough to draw blood that pooled at onto the knife and dripped down her cheek.

"Don't be fooled by the…treatment…you received the past two days Moria." He said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "We will break you. Shatter you into tiny pieces. And you WILL talk." He said, withdrawing the blade. She merely was silent before looking at him dead into the sockets of his mask.

"Don't be so sure of that."

_184…185…186…_

* * *

Sirius grumbled slightly as he began to unlock the door. He was exhausted. Completely exhausted. Two days' worth of raids had him drained. He was never going to hear the end of this from Moria…and frankly he didn't really blame-! His train of thought broke as he stumbled on a slick surface and looked down to see a stack of mail on the floor. Odd. Moria normally would grab the mail that came from muggles when she got off of work.

"Moria?" he called out and to his surprise, no answer came. He checked his watch, frowning. She was normally home by then, unless she doing a nightshift…and she hadn't complained about a nightshift two days ago. Something clicked in him and he bent down, picking up the mail, leafing through it. The last piece of mail was from two days ago. Now worry began to set in. Moria was picky about leaving mail around the flat…she wouldn't have left the mail there for two days.

"Moria?" He called out again, expecting a grumble or something that she was there and had just ignored his first call. But as the first no response came. "Where the bloody hell is she?" he mumbled, looking at the clock. He sighed and due to his extreme exhaustion went to the telephone.

He stood there as the phone rang, before a click was heard.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi Chels." He greeted.

"_Oh hi, Sirius. What's up?"_ He heard her say and did an eye roll. How could a woman who was so snarky in real life, sound so innocent and sweet on the phone he would never know.

"Hi…I was just wondering if you had seen Moria." He said. Out of everyone, even Lily, Chelsea would know if she was doing something because of work to work. There was a brief pause.

"…_She's not there?"_ Chelsea asked and for Sirius, time just stopped. Why would Chelsea think she was here?

"No…why?" Sirius asked, barely keeping the slowly rising panic out of his voice.

"_Well she hasn't been at work for two days, and two days ago she nearly fainted while filing and I told her to go home. The boss is pretty pissed, but we all just chalked it up to her not feeling good. You sure she isn't there?"_ Chelsea asked and he could hear growing concern etched in her voice. He swallowed, his panic now completely filling him.

"No. No she's not. Look, call Lily and Alice and ask if they've seen her. I'm going out to go look for her." He said quickly and hung up, not even bothering to say goodbye before rushing out of the flat again.

* * *

_1000…1001….1002…1003…_

Moria shifted, her body aching in places she didn't know could ache. She had lost feeling in her hands and upper arms days ago, and every time she moved them it felt as though she was being cut, the tingling sensation vibrating down her arms. They had let her arms down every now and then, whether it was out of the goodness of their hearts or merely because they enjoyed watching the discomfort of her having to wake up her arms and then lose feeling again, she wasn't sure. She was going with the latter of the two. Her stomach grumbled loudly in protest, wishing for some type of nourishment. Now she wished she had had a good meal before all this...right then she was just having what they literally forced down her throat. She was surprised that they hadn't even tried to get her to use Veritaserum or put her under the Imperious Curse. Maybe they didn't really care, just enjoyed watching a grown woman suffering.

_1010…1011…1012…._

She thought it had been a week at least…maybe later. She was exhausted, but could barely sleep because she was standing. She wondered if Sirius was out looking for her. Though it confused her as to why he would have sent that note. She just had to hope and wait…and most likely pray that someone would find her.

"Such a down face." A voice commented and her head shot up, her eyes widening at the recognition. "Ah…I see you recognize me…then there's no reason to wear this now…is there?" the man continued, pulling off his mask. Moria shook her head slowly.

"You…but you're…"

"Dead?" Dane Chamberlain finished, a satisfied smile etched on his face, as he cupped her cheek, pinching her chin so she couldn't jerk free. "Not really…though it was half true. My parents did die in the blaze. But you see…the body they found was that of a drifter that I killed. People can be fooled so easily."

"You…you monster." She spat out. He chuckled, moving closer to her. His breath warmed her cheek and she jerked, trying to free herself. The chains rattled as she yanked against her arms, ignoring the pain this time.

"Tsk, tsk. I told those idiots that you wouldn't break so easily. Now look at you." He stated. She glared at him angrily, causing him to chuckle. "You see? You have become so polite…I mean you even stood when I entered."

"It's not by choice." She growled out he tsked again.

"Such bad manners. Didn't your Mum teach it was polite to greet old friends?"

"You AREN'T my friend." She growled out.

"I'm not? Well that's quite rude. We had so many memories together in Hogwarts…" he stated and she felt his grip tighten on her chin. "That is until you attacked me with no cause."

"No cause!? You tried to rape and kill me, you bastard!" She hissed out, growling. Dane chuckled as though it had been a joke.

"Yes. Yes. Because of you I now only have one eye. You always were a fighter." He said, pushing a bang behind her ear. "Maybe that's why you're so attractive." He stated offhandedly, gliding a finger over the scratch across her cheek, opening it slightly to collect some blood. She snarled angrily, backing as far away as she could, and watched in disgust as he licked the blood off of his fingers.

"You know…you're quite pretty for halfblood. Especially in red."

"Go to hell." She growled out. He frowned and gripped her chin again, forcing her to look at him.

"If you're a good girl and tell us what we want to know, you can join us. You'll be safe with me. I would definitely find use for you." He said looking at her bloodied face, with a look at made Moria want to puke. She was silent.

"You know what…you're all the same." She finally said and he frowned. "Majority of men think with the same thing." She added.

"And that would be?" he asked.

"This." She said and then swung her leg up in-between his legs. She watched satisfied as he doubled over in pain. He snarled and swung his hand across her face, smacking her hard enough to taste blood. She yelped.

"You…are going to regret that."

"Like. I. Said. Go. Rot. In. Hell." She hissed out as he gripped her head. He snarled and flicked his wand out. Within seconds he had pulled the chain off of the beam that was supporting her. She fell to the ground with a loud grunt, before the wind was knocked out of her as Dane slammed his foot into her back, gripping the top of her head and forcing her head up.

"I am going to make you **beg** for mercy you ungrateful little bitch." He growled out and despite the situation she was in, she let a low laugh out.

"I don't beg." She replied, glaring at him. He cursed and shoved her head to the ground, pressing it there. She squirmed, trying to free herself, but stilled when she felt his wand press to her head. She heard him say something to another and soon after footsteps of another individual entered the fray. That other individual too Chamberlain's place and pressed her down onto the ground, holding her there as Dane wrenched her left arm up. She grunted, trying to move away, but grip held firm as he placed his foot onto her head, driving her cheek into the hard cement.

She saw a red glow coming from where Dane was and suddenly pain tore through her body, surging from her left forearm. She let out a loud scream of agony, which echoed and bounced sickeningly against the walls. She heard Dane laughing as though it was hilarious. She thrashed about as best she could, but it was only causing her more pain and Dane wasn't slowing down as he carved whatever spell he was using into her arm, sliding it up towards her shoulder, etching patterns into it as though he was drawing random scribbles. Tears brimmed in the corners her eyes, but she refused them to be shed.

"That's right, bitch, I _**own**_ you. I can do whatever I want with you, whenever I want!" Dane announced maniacally. "And you will BEG for me to stop, or this is going to continue!" he roared. But for the next hour or so, he didn't get his way.

Moria screamed, she cursed, and she fought in vain.

But she didn't beg.

Finally satisfied with the damage, Dane and his accomplice shoved her away as though she was a piece of filth and meandered away, laughing and joking as though they were drunk. Moria lay on the ground, completely still. Her eyes were glazed over, staring at the nearby wall, her body completely limp. Then slowly she moved, whimpering quietly as she finally managed to lay on her right side. Shaking, she moved her right hand to her left shoulder as though to try an inspect it. The moment she touched it, however, it was as though someone poked her with a fire-hot piece of metal and her vision flashed in white and she let out a strangled yelp.

Soon after the tears that she had managed to hold back, fell like lead weights down her face and she let out a sob, before welcoming the darkness and lost consciousness, the only sound to comfort her was the sound of the dripping pipe.

_1046…1048…1049…_

* * *

Sirius swallowed angrily. A week. It had been an entire week since he had found out Moria had disappeared. Was she alright? Was she safe?

Was she even alive?

No she had to be. She couldn't have died…he would have felt it. They had tried everything. They had tried to use that spell that healers used, but Chelsea couldn't get a lock on her. That meant one of three things:

Moria was unconscious.

There was a barrier where Moria was and it forced Chelsea from not getting a lock on her.

Or that Moria was dead.

But she couldn't be dead…she wouldn't have died that easily. Or at least that's what Sirius prayed. They hadn't found her possessions yet either, which raised some hope. If Moria had her wand…she could defend herself. Or at least defend herself long enough till Sirius found her.

"_Babe…hang on. I'll find you."_ He thought, as though she could hear him. James glanced at his friend, noting the ever growing bags under Sirius's eyes. Everyone in the Order knew what Sirius was doing now after every mission…nearly every night. He was out on the streets, trying to find Moria, where she was, who had her. He looked exhausted and, unknown to everyone—except maybe James and Remus—wasn't sleeping regularly. He couldn't. His dreams had become nightmares of what could be happening to her, what some bastard could be doing to her. If he found one hair out of place on her head, one bruise on her, one scratch, there would be hell to pay.

He sighed, rubbing his face trying to get those emotions under control. "Sirius." A voice quietly asked, and his head shot up, locking eyes with Dumbledore. Just one glance and he knew…something was up. He stood and followed the Headmaster, his friends seeming to not notice his departure. Sirius followed the aged wizard to a separate room.

"What? Have you got any news about Moria?"

"Sirius…" Dumbledore began to say but the rest drifted off as Sirius glanced down at the nearby table and felt his heart plummet, his body freeze and feel like it had just been hit by a double-decker bus. A knapsack lay on the top of the table, placed there in an almost mocking fashion. A wand lay next to it as though it had been thrown onto it without a second thought.

He recognized the knapsack.

He recognized the wand.

Moria.

"No…" he whispered out, his voice now hoarse as though he had been yelling for hours. "No...please...NO!" He hoarsely cried out.

"It seemed that she fought against Deatheaters…why she was by herself, no one knows…" Dumbledore stated quietly, as Sirius stared at the table, shaking his head, repeating 'no' over and over again as he felt his world collapse into bleak darkness. He slid to his knees, not even caring that he was now crying as he looked at the two objects that Moria would never leave the flat, or go anywhere without.

And slowly felt his heart shatter and tear into pieces.

* * *

Dumbledore watched as James and Remus managed to drag Sirius away, Lily clutching the two items as tears slid down her face. He watched the pair apparate away. Around the same time, he heard a similar pop behind him. He did not raise his wand, instead turned, looking at the figure shrouded in the shadows.

"Have you brought news?"

"May I ask something first, Headmaster?"

"You certainly may."

"Why did you inform Black of Prescott's supposed death? I have not yet discovered whether or not she is truly gone."

"Because, while he is loyal to the Potters…he is also loyal to Moria, and when it involves Moria, he can become extremely reckless." Dumbledore replied calmly, ignoring the snort coming from the other figure. "He would do anything to keep her safe…and I want to ensure that that need does not override his duties to his other friends. Now onto other news…have you discovered anything about her whereabouts?"

"Perhaps…just rumors circulating. I will be in contact soon."

"Very well."

* * *

_15002…15003…15004…15005…_

Moria slowly awoke. She moved her hands, wincing as pain coursed through her left arm. They had left her on the ground where Chamberlain had left her. No one really came in now…apparently Chamberlain had been given the 'privilege' of being her only interrogator. She grunted as she tried to sit up again, but the moment she put weight on her left arm, pain spasmed through, sending a shockwave through her system and causing her to collapse again, panting hard. She was cold, her clothes offered no warmth, as they were torn badly, and blood speckled her clothes. Her shoes had been taken and discarded, so they could throw glass bottles on the ground and then force her to walk on the shattered glass, leaving her feet bleeding and scarred. Her mind was fuzzy and barely holding consciousness. She dimly became aware of humming and she felt nausea roll in.

"Ah, and how is my lovely pet today?"

"Fuck…off…" She murmured. She inhaled sharply when took a step and pressed a boot into her shoulder, and pulled her up by her hair.

"Now, now…didn't I tell you that if I heard one more profanity from you, I'd have to rip that pretty little tongue of yours out?" He asked, his voice smooth. She clenched her jaw. "Good girl." He stated removing his foot, to her relief, before slamming his fist into her face. She fell back to the ground, listening to him chortle.

"Oh such a pretty sight. The lovely Ice Queen of Gryffindor, finally where she…belongs…" He trailed off, and Moria blinked in confusion, staring at his feet. Had someone walked in, and he hadn't wanted them. Then he bent over her. She tried to look over her shoulder to see what he was doing when she heard a tearing in her shirt. She squirmed, only to earn him smashing her face into the cement, pinning her to the ground. Her heartbeat skyrocketed.

"My, my…what do we have here?" He asked. She growled.

"Get…off…" She snarled.

"Call me Master, and I will."

"Never." She growled. She heard him chuckle and then her breath froze as he shifted.

And slid his finger down one of her pale scars.

"How did you get these scars, Pet?" He breathed and she tried to wiggle out of his grip.

"Stop!" She pleaded, her eyes clenched tight as she tried to get free. He smiled in realization.

"Oh…I see…don't like it when I touch these, do you? Was Black the only one who was allowed to?" He asked, clicking his tongue to the back of his teeth in satisfaction. "Such a secret my little pet has been hiding from her master."

"STOP!"

"Oh I don't think I will Pet…this is much too enjoyable." He explained as he ran his thumb down each of her scars, enjoying the trembling he could feel. "Besides, you haven't said the magic word yet. Say it and I'll stop. Don't and well…" He trailed off and she felt him did his finger harder into her scarred skin. She clenched her eyes shut, shaking and feeling so close to vomiting.

"Master…" she whispered, barely audible. He paused in his undertaking, almost surprised that she had submitted. She was staring at the ground, the feeling of bile slowly crawling up her throat. He gripped her chin and looked at her.

"Say that again…"

"…Master…" She murmured, her lips barely moving. He stared at her in surprise and then a smile stretched across his face.

She wanted to puke.

"Very good Pet. Just what someone like you should say to their owner." He explained. She looked down and heard him chuckle. He bent over to her ear.

"Soon you'll enjoy saying that." He soothed and her eyes opened wide as she felt his tongue slide over her ear. "Trust me Pet."

He then released her and watched as she slid back to the ground, her eyes vacant. She listened as his footsteps echoed away, before her sobs dragged their way up her throat and tore loose, and tears slid down her face as she curled up. The cracks were starting to grow larger and longer…and it was growing harder and harder to stay in control.

Sirius…Sirius…where was he?

_1…2…3…4…_

**MORIA SLOWLY CRACKING...ALSO THE NUMBERS ARE SIGNIFYING HER COUNTING THE NUMBER OF DROPS SHE'S HEARING FROM THE LEAKY PIPE. THE REASON WHY SHE STARTS OVER AGAIN AT THE END IS BECAUSE SHE'S LOST COUNT. **

**ANYHOO...READ AND REVIEW PLEASE :D**


	18. WE CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD

"_**Sirius…"**_

_Sirius looked around in the bleak darkness trying to find the location of the voice._

"_**You didn't find me…"**__ the voice said and a white form appeared in front of him and his heart plummeted as Moria stood in front of him, staring at him with those piercing brown eyes._

"_**Moria…"**__ he murmured weakly. __**"Moria…no…I tried. I **__**TRIED**__**." **__he said and she offered a soft smile, but still shook her head._

"_**But, it didn't matter did it?"**__ she asked and to his horror, blood began to drip down her chin and blood began bloom in front of her chest._

"_**Moria!"**_

"_**MORIA!"**_

"_**MORIA!**__**"**_

Sirius's eyes snapped open and he let out a strangled cry, sitting straight up in the bed panting wildly. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to control his shaking, trying to slow down his heartbeat which had skyrocketed from the nightmare. Out of habit he glanced over to the other side of the bed, expecting…_praying_ that Moria was there waking up due to the nightmare and would be wondering what had happened.

The other side was empty. Had been for nearly three weeks.

He swallowed roughly and flopped back onto the bed, and stared at the ceiling.

"_Well…have fun. See you later."_

It had been her final words to him. Merlin, he didn't want those to be her final words to him. He didn't WANT that to be a final anything.

They still hadn't held a funeral. There was no body…so there was no proof that she was dead. But his mind was telling him that if her wand wasn't with her, she was as good as dead. She had needed him…and he hadn't been there. He had promised that he would be there to protect. Every night while she had been sleeping next to him, he would promise her that.

And he had broken that promise.

"Moria…" he murmured as his vision blurred and he felt liquid drip down his face. He made no attempt to wipe away the tears. What was the point?

What was the bloody point?

* * *

Dumbledore looked up at the figure in front of his desk, intrigue in his eyes.

"Are you positive that might be where she is?"

"Yes sir. I overheard several of them discussing it amongst themselves like schoolgirls." The other drawled, almost sounding bored, but one could hear a hint of apprehension in his voice.

"Is there something else the matter?"

"I suggest you hurry…she will not last much longer."

"Well done. I will inform some of the Order and send them there. Now I would suggest you leave before you're spotted." Dumbledore warned and the man nodded before apparating away.

* * *

Moria shifted slightly, only to stop as pain swarmed her body. She was going to die here…wasn't she? She knew it was going to happen eventually. If Dane got any closer…if he got his way…there would be no doubt. She would die. She could never join him…not willingly, and she could never face Sirius if Dane did force himself onto her.

She shuddered and then stilled when she heard footsteps.

"What a glorious morning, isn't that right Pet?" a sultry voice that sounded remarkably what she considered sour honey would taste like to her. She didn't even offer a response, her eyes hardening. Dane bent down and observed her, shifting some of her hair. She didn't move.

"What was the proper way to greet your master, Moria?"

Silence greeted him.

"I'm going to have to punish you, if you don't respond." He warned. Once again silence. Maybe he would finally just kill her, and she would be free of him. Instead he bent over and with a forceful yank, pulled off the necklace that had remained hidden in the torn edges of her shirt. Her eyes widened and she made a slight lurch towards him, trying to grab it back. It did little good, as he slammed her right wrist down onto the concrete, observing the charm on the end.

"Don't-" She hissed out, before he smashed it onto the ground, shattering the charm on the end. She stared at the broken necklace charm in shock.

"I don't like to share my pet." He remarked as her eyebrows furrowed, tears welling up in her eyes. "Don't worry you'll forget all about him."

She stared at him and swallowed. No…she would never forget Sirius. She would make sure of that. He chuckled at his own joke and stood.

"Don't worry Pet…I won't work on you today. Important meetings going on." He declared, failing to notice her body relax in relief. "But don't worry Pet…I'll be back tonight." He warned and then turned away, walking merrily, as though just merely coming here to warn her of a threat likely to come that night had been his defining moment. It probably had been.

She bit her lip. What was she going to do?

She needed to do something…but what?

"_Are you giving up? That's not the Moria I know."_ A breathy voice asked. She blinked wearily and then blinked several times as she spotted the wispy translucent figure stood in front of her, his green eyes staring at her in question.

"Logan…" She whispered. He hadn't changed a bit since her last memory of him. He was still wearing the clothes that were too large for him, but his eyes were no longer smiling. They were dead.

"_Moria…don't give up. You're needed elsewhere. Sirius needs you."_

But what could she do?

"_Get up…and move forward." _He implored. _"You are not broken yet. Don't let him break you completely."_ He continued. Her eyes finally gained back a fraction of the life that had been absent for several weeks of hell. She then scrunched them closed, and shifted, biting her lip to stifle the scream that threatened to burst out as her muscles screeched in protest. She put all her weight on her right arm, careful to make sure none rested on her left arm, which was essentially useless at that moment.

She struggled to put her feet under her, and finally managed to do so. With a pained grunt, she surged upward, stumbling and very near well crashing back down, only stopping when her back slammed into the wall behind her. She took several shaky breaths and then began to walk, leaning heavily on the wall, literally sliding across it.

She needed to go. She needed to get away.

Now. Before it was too late.

* * *

James and Lily slowly crept forward, creeping to the supposed abandoned warehouse.

"What did Dumbledore say was there?" Lily whispered in question. James shrugged.

"I don't know." James responded as he moved forward, peering through the window. He didn't see anything. "Must be important if he wanted us to go."

"Modest as ever…" Lily remarked under her breath, and her husband gave her a grin that she could see even in the dark. She sighed softly. At least Sirius was with Harry…that way they knew where both of them were. Ever since Moria had been reported missing…Sirius had been a shadow of himself. Honestly, she believed that if they weren't there…Sirius would have long since gotten himself killed on a mission. But Sirius had Harry to help protect. And that was good enough for him at the moment. She returned to the present when James tapped her shoulder.

"Split up…but keep a vigil. They may be hiding." James hissed out and she nodded separating and going to the opposite end, disappearing into the darkness. James slowly went down a single corridor. It was dark, the only light coming from the tip of his wand. It was so quiet…the only sound he heard was the dripping of a pipe somewhere, and-

He whirled around when he heard a sliding sound, a binding hex on his tongue. But he froze as the light illuminated the sole figure pressed against the wall, staring at him with darkened eyes that were fighting unconsciousness.

"Moria?"

"…J…ames?" She slurred in confusion, blinking in surprise. He couldn't answer, just stared at her condition. She was a living wreck, covered from head to toe in bruises and blood, her clothes were torn and covered in more gunk. Her left arm hung uselessly at her side, and he could see she was shaking with exertion. Yet her eyes seemed to be the only thing active.

"Moria?" He asked again. She offered a soft smile.

"Hey Antler boy…" she whispered and took a step, but stumbled. He didn't hesitate and rushed forward, barely catching his friend before she face planted onto the floor. He knew it was her. No one other than a select few called him that.

"Bloody hell Moria, who did this you?" he asked as he began to situate the damage. She needed medical treatment right away, that was painfully clear.

"…Deatheaters…" she murmured out trying to remain conscious. "Hurts…"she added and he grimaced. He couldn't even imagine all the pain she had went through and was going through right then. He quickly took off his jacket and covered her.

"Moria…you're going to have to listen to me…this will probably hurt when I pick you up." He whispered out and she nodded. He picked her slowly hoping to relieve some of the pain and winced when she grunted. "Sorry…"

"It's okay…" she replied softly and he looked at her as he hurried back in the other direction of the hall, searching for Lily, who turned around the corner and ran up to them. She gasped the moment she saw Moria and rushed over towards the duo.

"Moria?! Oh my…."

"Hi Lily…" Moria mumbled out.

"She needs medical attention!"

"Yeah but where, Lily? We can't take her to Mungo's…and with what happened during Bryn's mission…" James trailed off. Lily was silent and she looked as though she was contemplating the answer before her eyes widened.

"Chelsea."

"What? Her?" James asked. After Bryn's death Chelsea had stayed away from the Order unable to continue. He wasn't ideally sure that Chelsea would want to take part in something that would inevitably draw her back into the Order.

"She's still a healer and is probably our safest bet right now. And besides…Moria's her friend." Lily said earnestly and James glanced down at Moria. She was trying to stay awake but had remained silent…he knew she needed immediate help…and they didn't have a lot of choices.

"Let's go." James finally conceded, and with that settled they rushed away.

She was there…she was alive.

* * *

"Bloody hell Moria, they sure used you as a punching bag." Chelsea stated as she dabbed another towel over Moria's leg. She glanced at the small pile of bloodied towels. And she hadn't even gotten to her shoulder. That would be much more painful. Despite the obvious pain Moria let out a small laugh.

"Thanks…Chelsea." She murmured and then grunted slightly as Chelsea cleaned a leg wound with an antiseptic drenched cloth. Chelsea grimaced and then looked at Lily who was just sitting there in silence.

"Lily…where's James?"

"He went to go get Sirius…and Harry."

"We'll have to hurry then."

"Hurry…why-"

"I have to clean off the shoulder, Lily. And even though Moria's doing pretty good right now…there's no way she'll make it through this without screaming. And I doubt Sirius would be able to listen to it. In all honesty I don't think you and I will be able to take it either." Chelsea explained glancing down at Moria who had closed her eyes as though she was gathering her strength for the pain to come. Lily hesitated but then nodded gripping her hands tightly. Chelsea glanced at Moria, who opened her eyes partially.

"I'm so sorry, Moria…" she said as she conjured a new set of towels and Moria laughed, her voice weak.

"Let's just get it over with." She whispered out.

* * *

"I know they're late Prongslet." Sirius murmured as he bounced Harry slightly, trying to calm the little boy down, who was clearly distressed over something. Probably his look wasn't exactly helping, but he had been too tired lately to actually shave due to the lack of sleep, and his clothes probably smelled like stale firewhiskey…but he didn't much care at this point, instead concentrated on trying to get Harry to stop crying. "They'll be back soon." He soothed. At least he hoped that was the case. Merlin help him if he lost them like he lost…

He swallowed roughly at the memory of the nightmare that had occurred the night before, still ringing clear. Would she have actually said that? In the back of his mind, he realized she wouldn't…but it was still accurate. He hadn't found her. He gripped Harry tightly, in resolve to the fact he was likely to spend the rest of his life as a bachelor…but that didn't mean he wouldn't get revenge. He would find the bastards that had taken her…and they would talk. He paused in his pacing when he heard someone apparating in and turned to see James, his shirt covered in dried blood.

"Prongs…what…?" Sirius hissed out, but James shook his head.

"We need to get back to Chelsea's place. Now."

"James, wait! What's wrong? Is Lily-" He stopped unable to finish the sentence. James shook his head.

"Lily's fine. Let's go."

"James, what is going on!? What's wrong!?"

"We found Moria."

Sirius froze in his spot, staring at James with unfathomable eyes, before blinking repeatedly, almost as though he was under the belief that he was dreaming. His eyes then darkened considerably.

"That's not funny, Prongs. At all."

"I'm not joking." James spat out, gesturing to his shirt.

"Dumbledore gave me Moria's knapsack and her wand. She would sooner be dead-"

"She was captured by Deatheaters, Padfoot. They took those things away from her to make sure she couldn't fight as well as she normally could and so we wouldn't look for her." James replied angrily. "What? You think I decided to play a joke like that? And essentially ruin my favorite shirt just to do that?" He asked in disbelief. Sirius stared at him, almost searching his expression for any hint of lying. He apparently didn't find it, and his shoulders drooped as his expression and demeanor changed.

"She…but…how…"

"That's what they were hiding at the warehouse Lily and I went to. She's hurt and really weak, but she's alive."

"Where…"

"At Chelsea's place. We didn't trust Mungo's…and so we went there. Let's go now." James repeated and vaguely Sirius felt James grab his wrist, and then, having enough thought process to hold onto Harry tightly, apparated with James. When they landed, Harry made a frustrated whine. He didn't like the dizzy feeling that apparating. Sirius handed the young Potter boy to his father and stumbled slightly, stopping when a young woman walked out, her wand pointed at the trio.

"Lily." James called out.

"What's Moria's favorite soup and why?"

"She doesn't have a favorite soup." Sirius answered in annoyance. "She likes dry foods."

That was a good enough answer and Lily moved away, walking towards them, her eyes puffy and red.

"We're done."

"Is she…"

"She's resting…but she's been asking for you, Sirius." Lily informed him quietly and without a word he walked past her. He glanced behind him and swallowed as he saw Lily had gone to her husband and James was holding her tightly. He then walked in and went up the stairs, where he could hear movement. He turned down a hall and saw Chelsea exiting a room. She looked at him and shook her head.

"Not right now Sirius. She's really weak."

"Let me in, Cavendish."

"Sirius, in Mungo's we have rules-"

"I don't give a bloody damn about the rules!" He snarled, and she stopped as he moved forward. She took a step back. "Let me in, Chelsea." She was silent and then took a step to the side and allowed him to go through, which he didn't hesitate and went through. He locked eyes on the form that was lying on the bed farthest away from him. He barely heard the door close behind him, and silence became his company; the only other sound was of the fan that was slowly rotating above him. Gradually he moved forward, the lump in his throat growing larger and larger until he sat down next to her.

His eyes burned. She looked so frail and weak, and he could see she was in a light sleep, her body saturated with sweat; the aftermath of the amount of pain she went through. Her left upper body was wrapped in thick white bandages, wrapping all the way down her arm. Bruises were prominent on the visible areas of her body, abrasions also lay prominent. He spotted her right wrist and stared at the gashes wrapped around her wrist, He closed his eyes, trying to stifle the threat of crying. Not now.

"…irius?" a soft raspy whisper called out. He looked over to her face and saw her eyes opened a fraction, staring at him. He offered a tight smile.

"Hey Love…"

"Hey…" she whispered. "Sorry…it took…me so long…to get back…" She added with a slight smile, closing her eyes as though she could finally relax now. "But…I'm home…"

And he broke down. As she said that, he broke. She was apologizing…for something that she had had no control over. She forced her eyes open as he pressed his mouth to her forehead, gripping her good hand tightly, as though he believed she would vanish in an instant. A ghost of a smile crossed mouth, ignoring the throbbing pain as she reopened the cut on her lip. She shifted slightly, if only to move closer to him, and let out a soft laugh. He was trembling.

"Your beard is scratchy Mr. Black." She murmured and she heard him let out a chocked sob, weaving his hand through her fingers, knitting them together.

"Sorry…haven't really had the time to shave." He whispered.

"Lazy arse…" she murmured, her voice low and gravelly, heavy with sleep. He scrunched his eyes tight, pressing his lips to her forehead.

"It's okay…sleep…You're safe now." He whispered. "I won't let anything happen to you. Not again."

He thought he heard her say 'I know', before her breathing relaxed and she fell into restless slumber. He observed her face, trying to wish away the bruises and the scratches, but yet documenting and imprinting each one his mind, so when he did come across her attackers…they would get what they had given her tenfold. Glancing over he saw a pile of bloodied rags. It took him a few seconds to realize that they had once been clothes…and it took him a minute to recognize the clothes. Taking a sharp breath he slowly moved away from her to investigate the garments. They were torn, and bloodied. As he thumbed through them he saw that the shirt seemed to be the worse out of the group of clothes, the sleeves looking as though she had dipped her wrists into a bucket of red paint, patterned in the shape of chains. Her left sleeve was gone. He looked away and glanced at woman who lay on bed, breathing quietly. He ran his hand through his hair, before closing his eyes in shame.

He hadn't protected her.

* * *

It was early morning when James walked out of the Cavendish home, observing the man in the back yard. Sirius was now pacing outside. The yard was dark and there was a chill from the December weather permeating the air, but he didn't really notice.

"…It's not your fault, mate." James remarked quietly.

"To hell it isn't." Sirius growled out glaring out into the darkness and turning around in the yard again.

"We couldn't have known she was there, Padfoot. We all thought-!"

"I should have looked for her! Bloody hell Prongs, they TORTURED her! For three weeks! And I gave up after the first week!" Sirius yelled out, his face dark in anger. He stopped yelling and groaned sitting down on the porch. The world was silent again.

"Dumbledore told me…he told me she was dead. And I believed him." Sirius whispered out. "She nearly died because I didn't look for her.

"But she didn't, Sirius. You got her back." James said. "And that's all that matters." He added. Sirius was shaking now, and James swallowed.

"She's safe now, Sirius." James reminded. "Whatever happened to her…she's safe now and no one can hurt her again."

Sirius was quiet, staring into the yard, unable to talk. Yes…she was back. But how much of the Moria he knew and loved was still there could be debated. He hadn't even been able to look at the list of what she had received injury wise. He knew her left arm was scarred…badly. But anything else…he didn't know.

"Sirius-"

"I want to know something, Black." A voice interrupted James and both men turned to see Chelsea standing there, her arms crossed. He observed in her hand was a slip of paper.

"Uh…okay?" He asked.

"Did you ask for her assistance on the day she disappeared?"

The question had been sudden, and it had surprised both him and James. Sirius's expression darkened in an instant.

"If you're suggesting I led her into a trap, Cavendish, I-"

"I found this in her pocket." Chelsea interrupted handing him a crumpled, speckled with blood piece of parchment. He glanced at her confused then looked at paper reading the note. He froze. James looked at his friend in confusion, glancing at the paper over Sirius's shoulder. His brows furrowed in confusion, glancing at Sirius.

'_**Need help. Go to address below.**_

_**-Sirius.'**_

"I never sent this…" he murmured, his voice hoarse.

"Are you sure? Because that might have been where-"

"He didn't, Chelsea." James implored. "I was with him on a raid that entire night. He never had time to send a note out." He explained. Chelsea's face hardened.

"Well there you have it." She explained. The two men looked at her, comprehension slowly dawning on their faces. "That's why she was taken. Someone impersonated you, and made her think you needed help. They knew she would rather go through hell than leave you alone in danger. They knew that she was walking straight into a trap. That's how they got her." Chelsea concluded and Sirius felt anger flare.

She had gone to a trap to save him. She had been hurt because she had tried to rescue him. She had nearly died because of him.

"I will kill whoever sent her that note." Sirius snarled, almost sounding dog-like. James looked at his friend, and for once didn't feel the need to try and stop the threat from coming. Because he knew that wherever Sirius was, the rest of them wouldn't be too far off.

* * *

"_**My, my…what a naughty Pet. Didn't I tell you to stay?"**_

_Moria spun around her head shaking as she stumbled backwards. Dane walked forward, that sneer on his face._

"_**Now someone is going to have to be punished, isn't she?"**_

_Sirius…_

"_**He's not coming for you, Pet. Didn't I already tell you that?"**__ Chamberlain asked and it felt like chains were wrapping around her legs, mumbling Sirius's name over and over again like a mantra._

**Moria…**

_She flinched as Dane continued walking towards her, still smirking._

**Moria, it's alright. Wake up. I'm here.**

**Moria!**

Slowly her eyes opened, locking onto silver ones that were above hers. She blinked several times as the world finally cleared and Sirius's face became prominent. He offered a weak smile, brushing the fringe out of her forehead.

"Sirius…?"

"Yeah, it's me." He stated softly. "It's okay. You were just having a nightmare." He stated. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

"Like crap." She responded, her voice rough. He flinched. "And no…I don't need anything. Just a bad memory."

"You're safe." He stated, tracing her cheek. He was silent and she observed him just as quietly. "I'm sorry that I didn't find you sooner…I'm so sorry." He whispered out. "If I had…maybe…" He felt her run her thumb across his cheek and looked up to see her smile.

"It's okay…it's not your fault…" she answered her voice cracking slightly.

"…Do you know who took you? Who attacked you?" he asked and she shook her head.

"No…I was attacked when my back was turned." She murmured, causing him to swallow in anger. Some bloody bastard had been so cowardly as to attack her while she didn't even see them?

"What did they want from you?" he finally asked.

"Answers…where James and Lily lived…the Order…anything." She murmured tiredly and then she glanced at him. "He's alive…"

"Who?"

"Dane…" She muttered. She felt him still, his eyes widening slightly. "He killed his parents and someone else…then set fire to his place so he could slip away unnoticed" She explained, her voice tired, and he started to shake. "He was one of the primary…interrogators…" she remarked angrily and then smirked. "Pissed him off though…didn't tell him anything." She added. He was staring at her, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes narrowed.

"I'll kill him."

"Get…in…line." She replied, her eyes partially open, and she yawned, flinching at the movement, as though she was expecting to be smacked for that. He merely offered a tired smile and then sat next to her on the bed, before lying down next to her. She curled up to him the best she could, still restricted with the bandages wrapped around her arm.

"Sleep…I won't leave you. Not again." He said and she nodded.

"…Love you." She murmured out and he pressed his mouth to her forehead, and heard her sigh softly, relaxing and finally falling into a deep relaxed sleep. He kept running his hand through the tangle of her hair, his eyes on the wall, as though wishing to burn a hole through it, a storm brewing in his eyes. But for Moria she didn't sense his anger, didn't respond to it, she didn't need to.

Because right now she was safe and she could feel his heartbeat against her cheek, sense him right there, and she knew that she was now loved and was protected.

And at that moment that's all she cared about.

* * *

She slowly awoke again, blinking slightly at the dim lighting of the room. It took her a few seconds to remember what happened and that she was now safe, the thought only solidified when what she was resting against shifted, and she peered up to see Sirius asleep, one arm wrapped protectively around her. Her heartbeat sped up and she was hesitant to blink for the fear that last night was all a dream and she would wake up in that warehouse. However, slowly her body began to wake up as well and with that, came the throbbing pain in her shoulder.

She bit her lip managing to stop the scream, but still released a dry grunt, regretting it. Sirius awoke with a start and immediately looked at her in a panic.

"Moria?! Are you okay!? Do you need anything?!" he began to ramble but stopped when she moved her right hand and covered his mouth.

"I'm…fine…just sore…" she whispered out giving him a small smile. He blinked. "Never…seen you…so talkative…this early." She joked, earning a tired smile from him.

"Didn't really sleep." He replied, pushing his hair back. "I was too worried about you. Just took dog naps."

"I believe…they're called…cat naps…Mr. Black." She retorted giving him a slight glare.

"I'm a dog Ms. Prescott, calling them cat naps would be insulting." He mocked kissing her forehead. She laughed quietly.

"Always…have an answer…for everything." She commented a smile on her face. He kissed her cheek gently.

"You need to shave."

"I will…I will…" he promised and she laughed softly. Silence greeted them for a bit, before she observed him.

"So…you didn't send that note." She spoke, more of a statement than a question; he shook his head, closing his eyes tightly.

"I was on a mission when you were taken…I couldn't have sent a note." He said. She smiled.

"Well, that's a relief." She said and he swallowed. A relief? She had been captured and tortured because someone had sent her a note acting like him. How the bloody hell was that a relief? Maybe it was a relief knowing that he hadn't been the one that called her to that location, but she had still been hurt. He cupped her cheek.

"So…you hungry?" he asked trying to not think about her pain. Moria smiled softly and shook her head.

"Not at the moment." She said forcing herself to sit up with a grunt. Sirius panicked and rushed to help her sit up.

"Easy, easy." He said and she gave him a short look. "Don't give me that. You're injured Moria."

"Yes I'm fairly aware of that." She grumbled wincing at her arm. "But I've been either forced into standing or lying on a cold hard ground for three weeks. I really just want to sit." She continued and he swallowed, and she paused as he cupped her cheek. He then kissed her gently, almost hesitant. That hesitant vanished as she returned the kiss, clearly having missed him just as much as he missed her. When they finally parted he framed her face delicately in his hands.

"Merlin, I missed you." He murmured. She cracked him another smile.

"I missed you too." She whispered out. He looked at her. Without the dried blood, the dirt, and Merlin knew what else, she looked fragile and weak. But she was still his Moria, who seemed to be trying to put up a brave front to not worry him. And even if he knew that, at this moment he didn't care.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again." She whispered.

"Neither did I." He replied. "But seems like fate had other ideas."

"Finally…fate's on my side." She grumbled and he laughed softly, brushing her hair out of her face. They stayed like that for a little bit, before he felt her relax against him, sleep apparently taking hold again. It wasn't long before his own eyes began to tire, the sleep that hadn't come for three weeks finally catching up with him. Gently he rested her back onto the bed, her grip on his shirt still strong. Slowly he fell back asleep, lulled to the sleep of the warmth resting against his chest.

She was safe. She was safe.

* * *

It was later in the day when Moria had awoken again and found Sirius was dead asleep next to her. To let him sleep, she had crawled off the bed and had managed to get downstairs and go to the kitchen. Chelsea had offered to make some food, which she had politely accepted. Now Moria was shifting uncomfortably trying to get used to the bandages her arm was in at the moment, but to no avail.

"I hate this."

"Well until I can smuggle some more healing potions out of Mungo's, visit the apothecary, or make some, you're stuck with that." Chelsea said drinking some coffee watching as Moria stared at the food. "What?" She asked as Moria felt her stomach do a roll and nausea swirled through her.

"Why is it that, even though I'm starving, I feel like if I eat a bite, I'll puke it up?" she grumbled and Chelsea looked at her with a mixture of confusion and amusement.

"Could be the fact you haven't eaten properly in three weeks."

"I was sick before that." Moria murmured absently. Chelsea looked at her then at her stomach. Could she be…?

"Moria-!" she began to inquire but stopped when they heard hurried footsteps clambering down the steps.

"Chelsea! Where's-!" Sirius began to ask in a panic but stopped when he spotted Moria sitting next to Chelsea. "Bloody hell…I thought you…" he trailed off as Moria walked up to him kissing him gently.

"I didn't go anywhere far. Promise." She said and he kissed her brow. The couple was so sickeningly sweet to Chelsea she thought she would puke. She kept her mouth shut however as she understood the reasoning for Sirius's panic.

Moria shifted and looked at him with a teasing smile.

"You should go and shave…" She murmured. He chuckled, kissing her forehead and then looked up at Chelsea.

"Am I allowed to use the loo?"

"Fine. Just don't make too much of a mess." She grumbled. He merely shot back a grin and walked away, humming. She smiled slightly stirring her cup of coffee for several minutes of silence as Moria played with her food.

"He's better now." She remarked and Moria looked at her strangely.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll be honest Moria, saying he was a shadow of himself is putting it lightly during those three weeks. He wasn't even close to being himself. He barely slept, barely ate, didn't shave…I don't think he really changed clothes all too much…and we're quite sure he started drinking a lot." Chelsea explained. Moria stared at her in surprise and then looked back at where Sirius had headed off to in silence. "He was really torn up that he wasn't there for you."

"But nothing was his fault." She remarked nervously.

"He didn't see it that way."

"But-"

"Don't worry about it. You can scold him later when you're feeling up to it." Chelsea remarked.

"Feeling up for what?" a voice asked and they turned to see Sirius walk back out, clean shaven. Chelsea gave him a look.

"That was the fastest shave I've ever timed."

"I'm fast." He remarked with a cheerful smile. Moria gave him a teasing grin, though Chelsea could still see a look of concern on her face. She opened her mouth but stopped and looked up when a patronus of a stag entered the kitchen.

"_Sirius, I know you're not going to want to, but there's a meeting for The Order. It's one of the mandatory ones…we'll tell Dumbledore about Moria being there, okay?"_ the stag said in James's voice. Sirius looked at the now disappearing patronus, then at Moria painfully.

"But…"

"I'll be here when you get back Sirius…I promise." Moria stated. "Chelsea will stay with me." She murmured and after a few minutes he nodded, kissing her forehead again.

"I'll be back soon, okay?" he said and she nodded. With one last kiss, he walked out of the house and they heard the pop as he disapparated away. Moria sighed before sitting back down and looking at her eggs, before taking a bite.

The moment she swallowed she felt her stomach heave. She covered her mouth and bolted to the bathroom. Chelsea, in shock followed Moria and heard retching sounds. She pushed the door open to see Moria puking into the toilet.

"Bloody hell, are you okay?"

"Yeah…maybe I caught something at the warehouse." Moria stated, wiping her mouth as she inhaled deeply trying to calm her rolling stomach. Chelsea looked at her in concern. Maybe she had been hurt far worse than what they had suspected. She hadn't even CHECKED the possibility that Moria had been hurt in that way. It would kill Sirius if it was the truth.

"Moria…were you-" Chelsea began to ask but Moria vehemently shook her head.

"No!" She exclaimed. "If I hadn't been found till a day later maybe…but no, I wasn't raped." She explained. If she hadn't escaped…if she hadn't been found. The chances of Dane forcing himself on her was all too real. "I may not remember every bloody detail, but no one raped me…I made sure that they didn't. Why?" Moria asked looking at the older girl. Chelsea however remained silent.

"Moria…when was your last period?"

* * *

Sirius stood at the back of the room, half-listening to what the Order was talking about, half not really caring, trying hard to not look like the latter of the half. Merlin, this was killing him. They were talking about strategies and past battles and what they should change in battles that might not even happen…he just wanted this meeting to be over so he could go back to Moria. He was startled out of his thoughts with a slight elbow to the ribs by Remus and blinked, noticing that members were leaving now. Apparently the meeting was over.

"You okay, Padfoot?" Remus asked in concern. Sirius nodded.

"Just a lot on my mind." He responded. "Ask James about it." He added, before Remus could ask, glancing James and Lily and saw that the pair was now talking to Dumbledore and for a split second saw a pleased look on the older wizards face. That slightly confused him. Dumbledore couldn't have known Moria had been there the entire time. He would have told him if she was, wouldn't he? Shaking his head, he then walked over to the trio.

"I'm heading out." He said. Lily and James glanced at him and then smiled.

"Yeah…go say hi to her for us okay? We'll be there in a little bit" Lily asked and Sirius nodded, with a slight smile, took off, trying to act casual. He hadn't realized how much he had missed Moria till she had been gone. And he hated that she had been gone…he hated the fact that she had been taken from him. She had become an addiction to him and one he never wanted to stop.

Within a few minutes he had entered Chelsea's home.

"Chelsea? Moria?" he called out.

"We're in the bedroom." He heard Chelsea call out. He walked up, curiosity sparking as he saw the door closed. He knocked on it and Chelsea opened the door. He saw Moria sitting on the bed a stunned look on her face. Concern overtook that curiosity, and he pushed past Chelsea.

"Moria? Babe, what's wrong?" he whispered out holding her hands with his. He heard Chelsea close the door, leaving the couple alone.

"I…" she began but stopped. He blinked, now growing more worried.

"Moria….what's going on?" he asked cupping her face. Was she sick? Did she get cursed while she was captured? She closed her eyes, and then looked straight at him.

"I'm pregnant."

**DUN DUN DDDDUUUUNNNN! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE :)**


	19. OH BABY!

"_I'm pregnant." _

He froze, his mind reeling, the words echoing throughout his mind. She was pregnant? A thousand questions raced through his mind. Slowly one crawled into the forefront of his mind, tearing away all logical options, ripping them apart. A dark one…an evil thought, one that he had forced away to the deepest, darkest part of his mind ever since she had been found. It had only been in his nightmares…ones that would wake him up in the middle of the night when she had been gone. That some of the Deatheaters had gone further in trying to get answers…had hurt her in a way he would never wish on anyone. Not even his enemies. But he highly doubted that Deatheaters would have cared about that. Especially when they had someone that they wanted answers from

"_And don't forget about who was holding her captive."_ A voice whispered, almost tauntingly. What would have stopped Chamberlain this time? Moria couldn't have fought back like she did last time. She had been helpless. Anger came soon after…red growing in the corner of his vision.

"I'm going to kill them." He growled out, standing up and heading to the door. She looked at him in shock, confusion, and hurt.

"What? Why?"

"Why?! WHY?!" He exclaimed, turning around, his wand shooting sparks out the end. "Moria, some bastard raped and impregnated you!" he hissed out. She blinked and then realized. He thought…

"Sirius, the baby-!"

"BASTARDS! I'll rip them apart with my bare hands!"

"Sirius! W-wait just a minute!"

"Touching what's mine…I'll make them pay for what they've done! I'm going to ki-!"

"Bloody hell Sirius, the baby is _**YOURS**_!" she screamed and he froze, shock registering on his face. He turned, looking at her in confusion.

"Huh?"

"This baby is yours Sirius…" Moria stated slowly, wrapping her arms around her stomach, and giving him a slight smile. "From what Chelsea said I've been pregnant for five weeks." She continued. Sirius was silent, just staring at her, for what seemed to be an eternity. Slowly Moria's smile vanished as he continued to stare at her.

"Sirius?" She started to ask. Then, before Moria could react, he pitched backwards, landing with a loud thud onto the ground, apparently having fainted. Moria just stared at him in shock and then sighed and ran her hand over stomach, before pushing the free strands of hair back.

"Well Baby…I'll tell you what…if this is your Daddy's reaction, my friends are going to freak when they find out."

* * *

Sirius groaned as he shifted, his head was sore and in all honesty, hurt like hell. Why?

"You finally awake?" He heard Moria ask him and he blinked, before looking around and finally spotting her, sitting in a chair, just watching him.

"What hit me?" he grumbled, sitting up and trying to fight a wave of dizziness.

"The floor." She said her voice sounding hurt. At first he was confused but then he remembered.

A baby.

Moria was having a baby.

He began to go down the same tunnel he had gone through a little while ago but Moria smacked across the side of his head causing him to yelp.

"I swear to Merlin, if you faint again…" she warned and he vigorously shook his head.

"You...You're sure?" he stammered out. Her mouth went to a thin line and she nodded.

"I checked, Chelsea checked, we went to a muggle pharmacy store-!"

"Wait, you went outside?! Bloody hell Moria, we just rescued you from Deatheaters!" he exclaimed. She glared at him.

"First off, I didn't go. Chelsea did. Anyway…after about three or four of those, Chelsea got one of her retired healer friends to come over and check on me. All of those said that I was pregnant." She explained, trying to keep her expression blank. He stared at her and then hesitantly came over to her, kneeling in front of her, placing his hands over hers, which seemed so small in comparison to his.

"A baby?" he asked quietly and she nodded, trying to fight back tears. She had wanted a baby for a while…but Merlin, not like this. If Chelsea's timeline for this baby had been correct that meant she had already been two weeks pregnant when she had been captured. Two weeks pregnant when she was tortured. Beaten. Starved. The baby had only been five weeks old until she had been found. What if something had happened to the baby during that time? She had unknowingly endangered it. What if-!

"Moria, snap out of it." She heard and she blinked, the tears sliding down her cheeks looking up and saw Sirius was now sitting where he was at eye level with her. "Don't you DARE think the worst, alright?" He warned. He needed to be the strong one this time. He could see it in her eyes. Her fear.

In all honesty he was now terrified. Not only with the whole prospect of being a dad, but the fate of that child. His child. He cupped her face with his hands, tracing the contour of her cheeks, pulling her to him. Gently, he kissed her and she gripped his jacket with her good hand, trying to calm her fears. Slowly, she relaxed in his hold, pressing herself closer to him. When they finally parted he looked at her.

"This baby will be fine. We're both stubborn as hell. No way is a baby of ours going to give up so easily. And you aren't going to be alone. Never…never will you be alone and fighting by yourself. I promise. Never again." He murmured softly. She smiled, her eyes growing glassy with tears and she nodded a small smile splayed on her face.

"Yeah…" she stated softly pressing her forehead to his. "I know." He then moved away and she looked at him, confused as he began rummaging in the pocket of his coat. Her eyes widened as he finally pulled out a ring.

"Sirius?"

"…I was going to ask you the night you disappeared…which obviously didn't turn out well…and I had this whole thing planned out….but the main gist of it was that I loved you more than anything in this world and would you marry me?" he asked. She stared at him dumbfounded before her mind reconnected, told her she wasn't dreaming and that this was real, before she kissed him deeply. She then pulled away with a smile on her face.

"Of course I will Sirius. Yes." She whispered out and for a minute he was shocked and then he grinned widely as he moved the ring onto her finger.

"You do realize that every animal in this house is going to go deaf once Lily finds out right?" Moria asked and he laughed.

"James and I will cover our ears. As long as I marry you and am with you forever, I don't care if I go deaf." He said and she smiled. He kissed her again and she slowly felt his hand rest on her flat stomach and she looked at him as he sat down next to her.

"A baby…wow…" he finally murmured and she laughed slightly.

"Yeah. Who would have thought?" She said resting her head on his shoulder closing her eyes. He chuckled and kissed her head.

* * *

A few hours later James and Lily apparated to Chelsea's house and knocked. They heard footsteps and the door opened slightly. They saw Chelsea staring at them cautiously. They grinned.

"Oh come on Chels, do we need to tell you about that one prank in Hogwarts where we ended up accidentally dying your hair green?" James asked. "Honest, it was supposed to be for Snivellus." He added, earning a glare from Lily, while Chelsea merely groaned before opening the door.

"So it WAS you. I should have throttled you all for that." Chelsea stated as she let them in.

"Did Sirius get here okay?" James asked and Chelsea smirked.

"Yup…and considering the news he got he should be EXTREMELY happy." Chelsea stated grinning. Lily and James looked at her in confusion. Chelsea just shrugged looking up as Sirius, followed by Moria, walked down the stairs, James noting that Sirius had probably one of the most jubilant grins he had ever seen on him.

"Hey Moria…how are you feeling?" Lily asked glancing at her friends arm. Moria smiled, holding her shoulder gingerly.

"Better…trust me it doesn't hurt as much as it did a few days ago." Moria added. James glanced at Sirius.

"I'm sincerely hoping that you didn't just shag…I don't think Nurse Chelsea would agree to that." James joked only gaining a kick in the shin by Chelsea and an elbow to the rib by Lily. Moria laughed.

"No he didn't do that. He's just happy because in about 9 months he's going to be able to be called Daddy." Moria said and watched in some amusement as both James and Lily's jaws dropped.

"And I'm even happier because I asked her to marry me and she said yes." Sirius added.

Several seconds later a scream of utter delight filled the house and Lily all but tackled Moria, making sure to avoid her shoulder. Sirius flinched, but grinned nonetheless. He felt a pat on his shoulder and saw James who was grinning as well.

"Way to go Padfoot. You finally grew a pair and asked her. And got her pregnant." James remarked with a bright grin. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Oh sod off."

* * *

"I still don't get what the big deal is."

"The big deal is the fact that she hasn't showered in three weeks, and probably wants to get cleaned off." Chelsea reminded Sirius as they sat in the living room. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"She could always do that at home."

"…You are such a guy." She replied. "Just let her get washed off, and then you two engaged love-birds can skip back home, for all I care." She grumbled, flipping the page in the magazine. An eyebrow rose as Sirius observed her.

"My, my. Is Chelsea Cavendish jealous?"

"Of you two? Please. I've seen worse with my parents." She remarked, flipping the page again. He was going to offer a retort, but stopped when he heard soft footsteps. He looked up to see Moria standing there, wearing some fresh clothes he had gotten from home. She offered a tired smile, which he returned gratefully.

"Ready to go home?"

"Mhm." She agreed, and glanced at Chelsea. "Do I have a pass to go?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just be careful when apparating." Chelsea remarked to which Moria nodded. Sirius pulled her to him.

"Thank you." He called out. Chelsea offered a careless shrug.

"It's my job. Go on you two." She remarked. Moria smiled and gripped Sirius, bracing herself as he side-apparated with her. There was a blur of Chelsea's home and then a familiar blur before they landed. It was nice to be home, Moria mused, when she observed her surroundings. She stumbled slightly, but regained her balance before Sirius seemed to notice.

"You okay?" He asked quietly after they had entered. Moria offered a tired smile.

"I'm fine, Sirius."

"You're sure?"

"Sure as I'll ever be." She replied, turning around and wrapping her arms around his waist. Finally she could move her left arm now. It hurt yes…it would hurt to some degree for a while. But it was no longer infected; it no longer burned just moving it. He offered a soft smile, pressing her to him. She offered a soft pained smile, laughing when he sniffed her hair.

"Hm…interesting scent. What is it?"

"Some fruit type. I don't particularly like it." She explained and he chuckled, kissing her temple.

"I guess it works right now then." He responded. She was silent and glanced down. Sirius was silent.

"I hurt you didn't I?" She asked, resting her chin on his chest. He looked at her confused. "Chelsea told me how you've been for three weeks."

"You aren't blaming yourself for what happened, are you?" He asked. She shrugged, wincing slightly as pain traveled through her arm.

"What happened to me was my own fault."

"No it-"

"If I had contacted someone before I went to the bogus site, what happened to might have never occurred. So while it isn't completely my fault…there is still a partial fault to me." She interrupted. "But what about you? Are you blaming yourself for what happened to me?" She asked. He was silent looking at her and then sighed.

"A bit."

"Sirius, what happened to me was beyond your control."

"I gave up searching for you after the first week." He remarked, brushing a damp strand of hair out of her face. "If I had kept looking-"

"Lily and James told me it's because Dumbledore found my knapsack and wand. I don't blame you for thinking that I was dead." She whispered. He looked at her as though he had been punched in the stomach.

"Yeah, but I should have kept looking." He stated.

"I'm back now." She reminded.

"I know, and I've been thanking whatever deity that is up there nearly every minute since you were found." He replied. "But still…knowing that you were captured, that Chamberlain…" he trailed off, wetting his lips again. "That Chamberlain was alive and he hurt you again…it hurts Moria. It hurts a lot." He added.

"Sirius-"

"I'm not saying that everything is my fault. I know it isn't." he continued, and exhaled loudly. "But a part of me is going to be blaming myself for not protecting you…and the baby." He added after an afterthought. She blinked, looking at him. "It's going to take a while, but I'll get over it…alright?" He compromised. She offered a smile.

"That'll have to do for now." She remarked with a light breath, running her hand over her stomach, and within seconds he had pressed his hand over hers. "Still can't believe we're having a kid."

"Yeah…and by the way, you aren't going on any missions anytime soon." Sirius informed. She gave him a look.

"Gee, what would have been my first big clue? The fact that I'm pregnant, or the fact that one of my arms is still recovering and can't really move all that well?" She asked, sarcasm laced in her voice. He rolled his eyes.

"Nice to see your sarcasm is still intact."

"Something had to be." She replied with a smile and he couldn't hold back a bark-like laugh before claiming her mouth with his.

* * *

"_**You have such pretty scars, Pet."**__ She heard and felt something cool slide up her back, tracing her longest scar. She jerked, trying to move away, but he kept a firm grip on her hair, still tracing each scar. He chuckled into her ear, enjoying that he finally, FINALLY could get a reaction out of her._

"_**If you say Master, I'll stop."**__ Chamberlain teased. She closed her eyes, scrunching them tight, shaking her head, almost trying to stop herself. He took a slow time dragging a finger down one scar, the feeling of his smile against her ear causing her to feel physically ill._

"_**Say it."**_

"…_**Master."**_

Moria's eyes opened, her world hazy. At first she assumed it was just sleep. However as something warm continued to glide down her face, she realized she was crying. Shakily, she sat up, brushing her hand over her eyes, stopping the flow. She glanced down and saw that Sirius was still blissfully asleep. She let out a shaky breath before sliding out of the bed, running a hand over her stomach. She smiled softly at the small bump that was barely visible to the naked eye, the biggest reminder of the life growing in there right then, as she sat on the sofa, but soon after the memory nightmare came back into full swing.

She had had nightmares. That was something that she always had. When she had been younger she had become a partial insomniac because of the nightmares. Sirius had gotten used to it, and had managed to somehow sense when she was having nightmares, wrapping his arm around her waist and essentially pulled her to him, reminding her that he was there and Malcolm couldn't hurt her. But these were different.

The nightmares involving Malcolm were just attacks on her emotional state, telling her she was worthless. She had started to become desensitized to those. These nightmares involving Dane were memories…fresh memories…ones that repeated in her mind nearly every minute of her life even though it had been nearly a month since then. And she couldn't shake them like the nightmares that had involved Malcolm.

"Moria?"

She looked over her shoulder, spotting Sirius walking out, his eyes still half closed with sleep, his hair messy, wearing the sweatpants he had fallen asleep in. She offered a weary smile, pushing her hair back. "Sorry…did I wake you up?"

"No." He replied. That was a lie of course…but he didn't want to make her feel guilty. "Had to use the loo…did you have a nightmare?" He asked after a moment's silence. She stared at him and then glanced down, wrapping her arms around her chest and sighing heavily. He walked over and sat next to her, his gaze on her.

"...I really don't know how you put up with me." She commented, her voice low. He smiled for a split second, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Because soon-to-be-Mrs. Black…" He explained. "I love you. I love everything about you." She let out a small laugh, brushing her hand across her face and sniffled. He smiled again and she scooted over to him, albeit hesitantly. "And I figure that this stress is probably not helping the baby…so…do you want to talk about it?"

She was silent. She knew that talking about Chamberlain…was bound to stir up emotions. Finally she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Chamberlain touched my scars on my back when I was in his 'care'." She finally murmured and she felt Sirius stiffen. She didn't blame him. That had always been Sirius's thing. He had been the only one allowed to touch her scars, as she would always be at her weakest. It was a sign of trust between them…and Chamberlain had forcibly touched them. "He's smart…I'll give that to him. He figured out pretty quickly that that was something I didn't like and it made me feel more vulnerable." She continued. He frowned deeply, running his fingers through her hair. She let out a low sigh.

"…he made me call him master to get him to stop." She finally murmured, though it was extremely soft, nearly whispered and barely audible. But he heard it…loud and clear. And she felt his whole demeanor change. He was angry now. Completely and utterly angry. She tried to move away from him, but he kept her close, apparently realizing that she was now blaming herself for upsetting him. She blinked rapidly, trying to push back the burning in her eyes as he kissed her temple.

"It was the only way to get him to stop…"

"Don't. Don't you dare apologize. It's not your fault at all." He remarked into the side of her head. "He's a bloody creep, who should have croaked somewhere in the deepest hell." He continued. Though there was no hell deep enough for that bastard in his opinion. She curled up to him.

"Still…It feels disgusting…" She murmured. "I feel disgusting…"

"Moria. Look at me." Sirius finally said. She did as she was ordered to, and he kissed her forehead. "You aren't. You wouldn't have done that in any other setting. You were trying to survive. I could never fault you on that."

She was silent for a few moments, and he could feel her observing him, staring at him in the darkness with inquisitive eyes that probably couldn't understand why he wasn't blaming her for this entire thing. He figured that in some way she was doing just that. Why hadn't she contacted anyone else when she had gotten the fake message? Why hadn't she been more careful…so many questions that were probably running through her mind. But he could never fault her. If the roles had been reversed, if he had gotten that message, he wouldn't have hesitated and would have rushed to that place, just as she had. How could he fault her for something he would have done? Finally relenting, she curled up to him again, resting her head under his chin, her forehead pressed to the crook of his neck

"…I can still feel him." She whispered. A jaw twitch was the only proof he had heard her. "Touching my scars…and I hate it. I hate that I can still feel it."

Silence greeted her comment and for a second she assumed that he was at a loss as to what to do. Then slowly, she felt his fingers glide gently under her shirt and over the raised, pale flesh of her scars, tracing them delicately, almost hesitantly, like he was worried that she would reject it. She closed her eyes, nudging him under his neck, allowing him to continue. He continued doing this, running his hand over her back, tracing each scar again and again, till he felt her body relax against his, and her breathing had softened, giving sign that she had finally fallen back into slumber. Gently as he could, he scooped her up and stood. He withheld the grunt that yearned for freedom and the protest of the muscles that ached from the last mission. He wasn't going to wake her up just so they could lie down in the bedroom.

Gently as he could, he set her down on the bed. She didn't awaken and he sat next to her on his side of the bed for several minutes just observing her, before kissing her forehead. He then ran a hand over her stomach, smiling at the thought of a child in there. Would it be a boy like nearly all their friends had seem to achieve, or would it be a girl? Personally, he didn't much care for the gender. As long as the baby was born alive and healthy, he would love it. If it was a girl, though, she would never date. Never.

"Hey kid." He murmured. "I promise you one thing…can you keep this a secret from your Mum?" he asked softly. Moria didn't stir, still asleep. He smile grew larger. "I promise I'll be there to protect you and your Mum for as long as I can…and as good as I can. That alright with you?"

There was silence greeting him, but he took it as a good sign that the baby didn't make any protest through Moria.

"I'll take that as a yes." He murmured, kissing Moria's stomach, kissing her forehead again, before lying down. Moria murmured incomprehensibly, curling up to him. As he fell asleep, he brushed his hand over her scars. As he had done every night since they had slept together.

And as he would do every night for the rest of his life if he could.

* * *

Sirius yawned widely as he and James entered the hallway, strolling down the hallway towards the room they had been ordered to interrogate a captured Deatheater. Apparently the Order had managed to catch him sneaking around and, upon discovering he had the mark on his arm, decided to see if they could get any information from before they shipped him off to Azkaban. James looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a teasing smirk.

"I haven't seen you yawn so much since finals in Hogwarts. What's up? Moria keeping you up?" he asked teasingly. Sirius shrugged.

"Yeah…but not the reason you think." He replied and James frowned.

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah…she's just been waking up earlier than she's used to because of morning sickness. And it doesn't help she's been having a lot of nightmares lately." Sirius explained, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Memories?" James asked and Sirius was silent. "She'll be fine mate. She has you." James said, patting the back of Sirius's back giving a characteristic grin. "In more ways than one."

"Mate, I swear if you even follow up with that comment I'll-!"

"Well, well if it isn't two of the famous Marauders." A voice interrupted and Sirius froze. Slowly he turned to see the Deatheater that they had captured, who sat in a chair—bound—with a careless and chilling smile as he stared at him with the uncaring blue eye he abhorred.

Dane Chamberlain.

**READ AND REVIEW~!**


	20. TRAITOR IN THE MIDST

"You know, most girls want to have a frilly wedding." Lily remarked, as she observed Moria making tea.

"And since when have I ever been the definition of most girls?" Moria asked looking at Lily, who nearly laughed. "I would be perfectly happy eloping, but-"

"But Madge would hunt you down and kill you." Lily said and Moria glared but made no attempt to dispute it.

"Besides, it's not like it's going to be huge." Moria stated.

"We figured that. I mean it's not like Sirius's family is going to come."

"Thank goodness for that." Moria grumbled. "I think his mother would rip his head off."

"What about your family? Who's coming?" Lily asked.

"Well Madge obviously. Monroe can't…he's on an excursion out at sea and couldn't come. Martin said he would try, but with his job you never know. Mitchel is definitely coming and so are William and Jacob. I'm assuming that the Ellesmere's are coming." She said.

"…it must stink that not all your family can come." Lily said. Moria, however, shrugged as a small smile graced her face.

"It's fine. I wasn't really expecting them to all be able to come. This is actually more than I planned on coming considering this is short notice." Moria stated with a grin.

"Why don't you hold it off for a few more months?"

"Because I would rather it not be too obvious that I'm pregnant. Sirius is in enough trouble for asking me to marry him without getting consent from any of my family. They're bound to be pissed off if they think the only reason we're marrying is because I'm pregnant. They'll most likely think this is a shotgun wedding." Moria stated dryly.

"I thought Madge knew."

"She does. But she's promised not to tell anyone besides her own husband." Moria said. "She is literally the one who wants us to go quickly. Told Sirius to try and get married before the baby bump "ruins my dress". I swear that woman is going to drive me insane with the whole dress concept. Sirius however, finds it hilarious." Moria complained as Lily laughed.

"Well she is a fashion designer."

"Yeah, yeah." Moria grumbled, running her hand over her stomach.

"How is he anyways?"

"He's fine…apparently he's been sleeping better since I got back." Moria stated and Lily nodded.

"You should have seen him Moria. It was like he had been hit by a Confundus Charm. He wasn't really thinking all too much. And when we found your wand…it was like someone had torn out his heart." Lily stated sitting down next to her. Moria shifted uncomfortably before glancing down as Harry tried to stand using her pant leg. She sighed and picked up the five month old baby, situating him onto her lap.

"I know…Chelsea told me what happened with him…he told me that. Not in those exact words…but he told me that." Moria said.

"I just hope the creeps who hurt you get what's coming to them." Lily growled out. Moria gingerly touched her left shoulder.

"Do you remember anyone else who attacked you?" Lily asked. Moria furrowed her brows.

"Other than Chamberlain, not too much." She replied. Lily grumbled, crossing her arms.

"He should have died in that fire."

"My, my Lily…that's rather violent of you." Moria teased slightly.

"I don't care. That creep is the worst. The absolute worst." Lily stated as Harry crawled over to his mother. "The amount of pain he's put you through he's just…ugh! I can't even think of what he should go through."

Moria offered a slight smile and shrugged.

"Well…he's got his own pocket of hell coming to him." Moria remarked. "And if Sirius gets to him first before anyone else…trust me…hell would be heaven for him."

* * *

Sirius was currently sitting farthest away from Chamberlain, glaring at the man as though wishing he was dead. He wanted nothing more than to wring the neck out of the little pest, prolong his suffering just so he could go through a fraction of the pain and suffering that Moria had gone through. To prevent this from actually occurring, currently James was the one asking questions. They were getting some responses, but not the kind that would be deemed any help.

"Look, you're not helping anyone by not telling us." James said, trying to remain professional.

"Meaning, I'm not helping you and that 'dream group' of yours because I'm not ratting out my comrades." Dane retorted, an obvious smirk on his face.

"Don't even bother James. It's not like the bloody Deatheaters told him anything substantial. Why trust an idiot like him?" Sirius remarked and saw Chamberlain's gaze shift to him.

"I'm surprised you haven't taken four-eye's place, Black. Surely you want to have a few words with me? About Ms. Prescott, hm?" Chamberlain asked and Sirius froze, staring at him. Chamberlain smirked, shifting in his chair. "I do hope she's well."

"Don't drag Moria into this, you bloody prick." Sirius warned.

"She cried several times for you, you know." Chamberlain stated, and James made a quick glance at Sirius, whose expression had darkened. "Towards the end however, she seemed to have given up on anyone trying to save a mutt like her. Rather quiet except when I was teaching her what to call me." Dane remarked off handedly. Dane sighed as though it was a sad notion that she had escaped.

"She was such a disobedient pet though…should have broken her a bit sooner, but then again it was quite interesting to see those _**lovely**_ scars on her back." Chamberlain continued and watched as Sirius's face darkened further. Dane sneered.

"I do hope you enjoyed those burns on her arm since it matches the ones on her back as you seem to love scars on that bitch. They were as much fun to do as to listen to her screaming and feeling her struggle. It would have ended sooner if she had begged like I had asked her to." He added. "But apparently she was still in her rebellious stage for a pet, so I had to punish her for her disobedience. You wouldn't happen to know how she got those, would you?" He asked with a smirk.

"It's none of your bloody business." Sirius growled through his teeth, his fists nearly white with how tightly he was holding them, shaking in yearning to launch himself across the room.

"Padfoot…" James warned under his breath.

"But that wasn't the only thing that she was hiding from me, was it?" Dane asked nonchalantly as though he was merely talking about the weather. Both Sirius and James's faces turned to that of confusion. Dane's sneer widened.

"It seems Prescott wasn't the only one saved that night, was it?" He questioned, turning his gaze to Sirius. "You have a little brat on the way, don't you? Such an unpleasant surprise to find out that she was already with child, and that the brat survived."

Sirius felt his heart drop to his stomach, followed swiftly by a roar that grew deafening in his ears. Likewise, James looked equally stunned. How the hell had he—of all people—known? Moria and Sirius hadn't even found out until a day after she had been rescued, and they had only told members in the Order, even then the number of people who knew was small.

"How did-" Sirius began, but Chamberlain broke out in laughter.

"Oh news travels fast, Black." He explained. "Much faster than you would think, since you are all under the smug assumption that your secrets are safe. In any case, it is such a pity that I wasn't made aware of this news earlier." He explained with a smug look. "I would have kicked her in the stomach a few more times to make sure the brat didn't make it." He declared and Sirius saw red, but he managed to stay where he was. However it seemed Dane wanted him to snap, and saw he was on the verge of doing so.

"I wonder…who will that brat look more like? You or its mother." He stated with an indifferent shrug of his shoulders. "Either way, I wonder if it will have Prescott's voice. She had such pretty screams; I'll surely enjoy listening to the brats screams as well."

Sirius's mind went blank as his vision went red. He didn't sense himself storming towards Chamberlain, didn't notice that he was withdrawing his wand. All he could see was the images of Moria from a month ago. How, even now, some things would cause her to nearly breakdown. All he wanted, now more than ever was ending this man's life. His thoughts off killing Chamberlain were jarred apart when James jumped out of his seat, barely grabbing Sirius and pulling him away, looping his arms under Sirius's.

"You rotten son of a bitch!" Sirius snarled, fury clearly visible on his face. Chamberlain looked amused.

"Oh…are you upset because your little bitch got used by someone else? A pity. If she hadn't been found for a little bit longer, I would have broken her so much."

"She's not a plaything, you bastard! She's a human being!" Sirius yelled out. Chamberlain leaned forward, nearly nose to nose with Sirius, whose face was murderous, struggling hard against James's grip.

"Humans like her are nothing BUT playthings. Women who are made solely to be tools." He said as though that notion was simple. Sirius cursed, trying to free himself from James, but to no avail.

"Did it hurt seeing her like that Black? Barely alive? Scarred? Oh it must have hurt like hell. And what fears must have been running through your mind when you found out that your little pet was pregnant. What had she gone through? Had she been assaulted? Raped? Impregnated? Consider yourself lucky, Black. If you hadn't found her, she would have been _**mine**_, and I would have shattered her as easily as that necklace she wore. Then I would have killed her and dragged that worthless body of hers back to you, just to watch you see her dead. That I would have liked to see." Chamberlain taunted. Sirius growled angrily and kicked, slamming his foot right into Dane's groin, the force causing Chamberlain to fall backwards. James now worked at dragging Sirius out of the room as other members of the Order moved in.

"Let me at him!"

"Padfoot, calm down!" James yelled out as Sirius struggled.

"Calm down!? CALM DOWN!? You SAW what that bastard did to her! And he enjoyed it! Like it was just some game! He THREATENED her and my kid! You can't honestly-"

"It won't do Moria any good if you're in Azkaban for murder Sirius!" James yelled over Sirius's screams and, as though a switch had been flipped, Sirius stilled. "You know full well that he'll be sent to Azkaban. Depending on the sentence, he'll probably get the kiss. That's hell in itself." James informed and Sirius began to shake, the energy of the adrenaline and pure rage winding down. Suddenly he turned and punched the wall, ignoring the blistering pain, before resting his forehead on the wall, his eyes clenched shut.

"He hurt her Prongs. He hurt her, and I couldn't stop it." Sirius whispered out, his voice hoarse, almost broken sounding. James swallowed. He couldn't blame him. If this was reverse and Lily had been the one taken, had been the one tortured and nearly killed, he would have jumped over the table and beaten Chamberlain to death. The same if Chamberlain had threatened Harry. But he knew no matter how much revenge Sirius wanted and so rightly deserved, if he let Sirius have his way, it would have taken Sirius away from Moria...something he wasn't about to let the girl that he could consider the closest thing to a sister go through.

"Sirius, that bastard is going to pay for what he put Moria through. I promise. But you can't go trying to kill him…you said so yourself. Moria has been having nightmares about what happened. Do you really think Lily or I could comfort her the way you do?" he asked. Sirius was silent and James knew he had gotten his answer. He sighed tiredly, already wishing that the day was over.

* * *

It was late at night before Sirius finally got back. He had been reprimanded severely by Moody for losing his temper, only to have the older Wizard say after he had been scolded, that he would have circumcised Chamberlain if he had had the chance. Now he was exhausted. He kicked off his shoes and glanced into the bedroom, sighing in relief when he saw the familiar form of Moria lying on her side of the bed, chuckling when he saw she had snagged his pillow, curling up to it. She shifted and opened her eyes slightly as he laid down.

"Can I have my pillow back?" he joked and she murmured.

"Not until you switch with the pillow." she retorted and he grinned.

"Yes Ma'am." He said and with a purr of approval she allowed him to retrieve his pillow before resting her head on his chest, curling up to his warmth.

"We caught Chamberlain." Sirius said after a few minutes of silence. He felt her shift and saw that she was now looking at him now, with concerned eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Maybe, but I wasn't in the same room with someone we both know hurt me multiple times when you weren't around." She replied. "And even though I don't blame you for either event, I know you better than that…so? Are you okay?" Sirius was silent, staring at the ceiling with a set frown on his face. "Sirius?"

"I wanted to kill him." Sirius answered. Moria just stared at him, silent. "If James hadn't been there, if he hadn't pulled me away, if he hadn't dragged me out there, I would have killed him and I would not feel any remorse." He concluded, brushing his hand over her arm and felt her move as though to study him. He glanced at her, then away.

"…he wouldn't stop berating you as though you were a piece of garbage…I know he was just trying to get me to snap, and it worked, but Merlin he wouldn't shut up. He threatened you, he threatened our kid... And I couldn't listen to that." He said, his voice suddenly sounding incredibly childish and he half expected her to scold him for losing his temper to of all people Chamberlain. Nothing like that came. Instead she kissed him gently, before deepening it.

"See…that's the one thing that differs between you and him, Sirius. You care about other people. You don't see people as objects or tools, but as living souls. That's probably one of the reasons why you were placed into Gryffindor while the rest of your family was housed in Slytherin. And one of the main reasons I fell in love with you. You have a really big heart." She said he laughed softly.

"And here I thought it was of my flawless good looks." He joked rolling over and trapping her under him. She smiled, cupping his face with her hands.

"Oh trust me Sirius Orion Black, your good looks was one of the top reasons I fell in love with you." She said with a laugh before he drew her into a kiss.

* * *

Sirius slowly awoke that morning to the lovely sound of puking. Again. Blearily he looked up, blinking as he glanced at the clock saw that it was little after 4:30 and groaned, hitting his head against the pillow, before sluggishly getting out of bed, pulling on a pair of sweatpants that had laid discarded on the floor from the night's before activities, stumbling towards the light under the closed door. He opened it gently, greeted with a sight he was growing accustomed to. He walked in and kneeled down next to her, rubbing Moria's back as she heaved into the toilet again with one hand, while pulling her hair back with the other.

"I'm guessing the kid isn't a big fan of chips."

"Guess not." Moria murmured dryly, before she once again heaved. He stayed there until she was finally done and she sat back, and gave him a look.

"Looks like this kid has your personality…or he just enjoys doing this for laughs."

"How do you know it's a he?"

"It's better than calling the baby an it." Moria remarked softly, resting against his shoulder. He offered a slight chuckle, continuing to rub her back.

"Better?"

"Yeah. Sorry for waking you up…again." She remarked. He offered a soft smile, kissing her temple.

"It's not a problem." He answered, guiding her to the bed and allowing her to lie down. He pressed his mouth to her sweat covered forehead. "It will never be a problem."

"Aw…so sweet…" she murmured tiredly.

"Get some rest, Moria." He ordered quietly, but saw she had already fallen asleep. He smirked and moved the fringe off of her forehead. "Love you." He added softly, and watched her face relax and a small smile cross her face in the dim lighting, and couldn't get rid of the grin on his face.

* * *

Later that day Moria awoke, to find Sirius gone. She sat up, stretching and slowly climbed out of bed, running a hand over the small bump as she walked into the kitchen. To her surprise there was a cup of tea on the table, kept warm by a warming spell. She blinked and then offered a laugh as she read the note next to the tea.

_Hey Love,_

_Since you're reading this, that means that the '15 minute mission' is lasting a hell of a lot longer than it should be (remind me later that Prongs is a liar). Don't worry about me, I'll be home soon._

_Hope I got the tea right._

_-Sirius_

She smiled and took a sip of the tea and smiled. It seemed that yes, he had indeed gotten it right. First time for everything. She then noticed a small message right under the note. An eyebrow raised she lifted it up.

_P.S. Look in the box. :)_

She glanced at table again and noticed a box that she had missed. Curious, she placed the cup down and picked up the rectangular box, lifting the lid off. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise and she felt heat slid to her face as a smile slowly spread. A necklace lay on the inside of the box. Observing it she recognized a small paw print on the charm, right above a crescent shaped charm. She let out a snort and shook her head.

"A rather literal meaning of marking what's yours, isn't that right Sirius?" She murmured in amusement to herself and ran her free hand over her stomach. "Your daddy is such a silly man. But I happen to like it." She explained as she pulled the necklace around her neck, latching it closed at the back of her neck. "Knowing him, if you're a girl, you're going to grow up with him being protective over you, which, if I think about it a bit more, I can pretty much see Remus, James, and Peter backing him up on that." She added with a chuckle. "But don't worry, I'm sure Lily and I can handle them." She continued cheerfully.

"Well at least it's nice to know that everyone talks to themselves." A voice called out and she turned, her hand going to her waist, where her wand was stored. Sirius stood there grinning, and trying to hold back a laugh. "And I see that you saw the necklace, and apparently liked it."

She offered a smile and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She pretty much knew that it was him because of that comment, and rolled her eyes as he gave the necklace a slight tug.

"Gee, if the paw print wasn't proof enough I'm with you, I don' know what is." She remarked teasingly and he grinned.

"Hey, I happened to like it." He replied, flicking the charm at the end. She looked down and offered a bright smile, going on tiptoes and kissing him softly.

"I happened to like it too, Mr. Black." She replied. "It's nice to know that I have such a romantic man that I'm marrying." He grinned; it still seemed unreal that she had said yes. He kissed her forehead gently. "So what mission did you have to go on?" She asked, looking at him. He shrugged.

"Nothing too important, trust me." He remarked and she gave him a pointed glare, but decided not to argue.

"Are you hungry?" She asked, moving away and heading to the kitchen. He grinned.

"Of course I am."

"Why did I even ask?" Moria stated. "You're the walking stomach."

"Har har." He remarked, leaning against the kitchen counter watching as she measured and pulled out ingredients, his mind slowly drifted back to that morning at the Potters.

"_**Sirius…you can't honestly think that."**_

"_**Lily, Chamberlain knew Moria was pregnant."**__ Sirius stated, his hand slowly fisting on the table at the memory, James nodded a grim look on his face. __**"And it makes so much sense on how they managed to get her. Someone knew where and when she was working, knew she wouldn't have even thought to ask for help to rescue me, she didn't sense them until it was too late, and they knew if we found her wand and knapsack that we'd probably stop looking for her. And that's not even including the rest of what is happening in the Order."**_

"_**What do you mean?"**_

"_**They know where some of our missions have been, Lil." **__James answered. __**"We thought that they were just lucky, but what if they have someone on the inside?"**_

"_**But why would someone betray us?" **__Lily asked nervously, glancing up the stairs towards where Harry's room was._

"_**Who knows. Power…fear…it doesn't matter Lily." **__Sirius remarked angrily. __**"The point is, is that the Order isn't as safe as we thought. We have a traitor in our midst."**_

He pulled out of his thoughts as Moria began to softly hum some unknown tune as she measured some coffee for him. Slowly he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her temple. She rested against him, still humming softly, unaware of his promise he was making at that exact moment.

Even if it was someone they knew. Even if it was a friend…it didn't matter.

He would stop this traitor from destroying any more lives.

Because he had two lives that he knew…he knew he would never recover from if he lost them again. He glanced down at her with a smile.

"I love you…you know that right?" He asked. She offered a soft laugh and reached up, kissing his jaw.

"Of course I do Sirius." She murmured. "And what a surprise. I love you too."

He chuckled and kissed her softly, just enjoying the quiet that was there and the warmth in his arms.

* * *

**TA-DA~! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!**


	21. WEDDING

Moria sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair, only smacked on the hand by her aunt, yelping softly.

"Will you STOP doing that?"

"Why does it make a difference if I stop? I'm not doing anything special to my hair." Moria retorted angrily as she shook her hand to relieve the slight sting. Madge sighed.

"Why did you have to be a tomboy?"

"Because this is me." Moria joked earning another light smack, this time to the head. "Ow!"

"Keep it up." Madge warned and Moria grumbled, crossing her arms. Madge smiled.

"You are so much like your father. He hated sitting down and getting ready for anything too." Madge remarked. "You should have seen him when Martin was getting married for the first time, it looked like he was going to be shot." She explained with a laugh. Moria smiled slightly. It was bittersweet that neither of her parents was there to witness this, at least not physically. She knew they were there spiritually, but still she didn't have them here.

Madge sighed, patting Moria's right shoulder. It would have been a shock to say the least when Moria had come to visit, Sirius in tow, her left arm bandaged as though she had gotten into an accident. Rage followed when she found out what had happened. And even though she had gotten the scar on her arm, she was grateful that here she was, alive…getting married.

"I remember that there was a time where you said you were never getting marries." Madge commented and Moria offered a chuckle.

"I was eight." Moria argued softly.

"Still, you had such little interest in boys." Madge commented as she pulled some Moria's hair back, clipping it there with a simple barrette, and offered a beam. "You're beautiful honey…he's going to fall in love with you all over again." Madge teased and Moria's face became a deep red.

"Thanks. Aunt Madge?" Moria said looking up at her aunt.

"Hm?"

"Thanks…for everything." Moria said and the older woman glanced down, observing her niece. Madge had a feeling this was more than just a thank you for helping with the dress and everything else.

"Sweetie…we're family. We're always there for you." Madge said sitting down next to her niece. Moria glanced down, thumbing the fabric of the dress.

"I know that. It's just that when I was younger…and every now and then, I felt like I burdened you and the others."

"Never Moria." Madge said shaking her head with a slight smile. This girl. A carbon copy of her father…even in beliefs.

"But you, Uncle Mitch, Uncle Monroe, and Uncle Martin all had lives before you took me in after Malcolm. And then I felt like you just dropped everything to be with me." Moria said, embarrassed. Madge tsked and forced Moria to look at her.

"Sweetheart. We love you. You were never a burden to us. The only one who thought you were a burden was Malcolm, and that bastard didn't deserve to have such an angel for niece." Madge said and Moria blinked, then smiled gratefully. Madge kissed her forehead gingerly and then made Moria stand and dragged her over to a mirror.

"See, you're such a beautiful woman." Madge gushed, causing Moria's face to turn bright red.

She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had looked so…_girly_.

The crème-colored dress reached her knees, and it was simple, no elaborate beadings or extreme plunges, the only thing interrupting the dress was the dark tan sash right above her stomach. It was darker at the end, but to Moria it seemed fine. She was wearing a white sweater over her shoulders, the length of the sleeves covering the majority of her scar. Thankfully she had managed to convince Madge to just wear a pair of flats. She wasn't wearing the necklace Sirius had given her, at least for this occasion as Madge had rejected it, instead wearing something Grandma Prescott, and her mother had worn: a light gold chain with a blue charm in the front. Nervously, she twiddled the necklace as she looked at her aunt.

"So…how pissed off do you think people will be when they figure out I'm pregnant?"

"I doubt it will be awful. I'm pretty sure that your uncles, William, and Jacob figured it out that you and Sirius actually have sex. Being pregnant isn't that far away from that."

"Gee thanks for that." Moria commented dryly and Madge chuckled.

"Points for me for making you look so cute and making a tan dress look like it fits a winter wedding." Madge cheered. Moria rolled her eyes.

"Only you, Aunt Madge, would be worried about a dress and how it looks in comparison to the weather." Moria joked and once again got lightly tapped in the back of the head.

* * *

"Ah I see you decided to forgo the whole tie idea." Lily joked as she entered the room that Sirius was in. Sirius glared at her standing up. His cutaway morning coat was solid black, reaching the end of his upper thigh. The ends had tapered off on his mid-thigh separating at his waist, a dark gold edged on the hem and opening seams of the jacket, before splitting off to his neckline which reached up, ending several inches below his chin. A matching red ascot tie covered the front of his neck.

"You know, teasing won't get you very far Lily." Sirius grumbled.

"Ohh..snappy. Someone's nervous." Lily teased, smiling as James came up, Harry snug in his arms. Harry babbled loudly stretching towards his mother. Lily smiled and retrieved her son from James. Harry cooed, nuzzling her.

"I am NOT nervous." Sirius retorted, huffing slightly like a little kid. Lily smiled glancing at James who offered a slight eye roll. Sirius was completely nervous.

"Anyway, Dumbledore's here."

"Yeah…remind me again why you asked our old Headmaster to marry you two?" James asked. Sirius glared but still had a smile on his face.

"Dumbledore is the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot – he has authorization to perform binding ceremonies." Sirius said. "Besides…I don't really want some muggle priest giving Moria weird looks because of her arm." He added. He had seen enough of that when they would go out. They would look at her arm as though it had been amputated, point, whisper to one another, and then stare at him, probably thinking he was the one that had done that to her. He still remembered several drunks who had commented that she must have liked it rough; it taken all his willpower and Moria stepping in-between him and the men to not hex them to bits.

"True." Lily stated, apparently having seen the same thing when she and Moria would go out.

"Well. Moria has something to brag about." James declared, deciding that now was the time to change the subject. The two adults looked at him.

"And that is?"

"She managed to snag the Wizarding World's most elusive bachelor and wrap him around her finger." James teased, earning a dark glare from Sirius and a laugh from Lily.

* * *

Moria let out a loud huff as she sat upstairs in the Potter's residence, trying to convince herself she wasn't nervous. Why would she be? She hadn't been nervous earlier. She was marrying Sirius in just a few minutes. So what possible reason could she have to be nervous now? Maybe because of the fact that it was one of the most important days of her life…

"_You're not nervous." _she told herself one more time.

Still, it was odd–really odd–to think she was getting married to Sirius in just a few minutes. It was sort of like a dream. A really elaborate dream, but a dream nonetheless…nonetheless it was reality. Moria took a deep breath and looked herself in the mirror, turning when she spotted Lily in the reflection.

"You're wearing lipstick."

"You do know I've worn lipstick before, right?" Moria commented dryly.

"Not a lot times." Lily remarked, walking over to her, looking at friend's dress with a soft smile

"I think this is the first time I've seen you in such a girly dress." Lily stated and Moria rolled her eyes.

"Really? I didn't know that." Moria said, sarcastically. Lily sighed as though she was annoyed but Moria knew better.

"Let's go Moria. Time to get you hitched." Lily said, grabbing her hand and dragging her out.

She felt Lily's hand leaving hers when they reached the doorway and, from that point on, everything was sort of a blur. All she could see from the moment she stepped into the room was Sirius as if there was nobody else in the room, and, slowly, every bit of nerves she had been feeling before turned into nothing.

His smile was directed to Moria as she took slow steps to him and she smiled back. His hand stretched to hers when she reached him and she took it willingly.

Dumbledore started the ceremony but Moria barely heard anything he said - she knew it all by heart and the _yes's_ and _I do's_ came out instinctively. She really wanted to tell the headmaster to hurry up and just say the words 'I declare you husband and wife'. Her hands clung to Sirius's as she looked at him and she gripped them further when, she finally heard the last part.

"Because Sirius and Moria have desired each other in marriage, and have witnessed this before our gathering, affirming their acceptance of the responsibilities of such a union, and have pledged their love and faith to each other, sealing their vows in the giving and receiving of rings, I do proclaim that they are husband and wife in the sight of the Wizarding world. Let all people here and everywhere recognize and respect this union, now and forever," Dumbledore said right before turning to Sirius. "Feel free to kiss the bride."

His hands finally left hers and, with a sigh, he touched her face in a soft caress and brought her closer, joining their lips. Their first kiss as a married couple felt just like any other, still, different at the same time. It was so hard to define it – Moria concluded that maybe she would be able to do it after a while. They were sealing it – from that moment on he was hers and she was his. Now, officially.

They broke apart after what seemed years and Moria looked him in the eyes. "We're finally married, Mr. Black." she whispered with a slight grin.

Sirius gave her the brightest smile she had ever seen on his face. "I think we finally are, Mrs. Black." And they kissed one more time, ignoring a pretend gagging sound from James before he got smacked upside the head by Lily amidst the clapping.

* * *

The reception was—thankfully in Moria's mind—short and sweet. The last remaining occupants were Remus, Geoffrey, Lily, James, and Harry, both children barely awake; Geoffrey was currently sucking on his fingers, his head resting on Remus's shoulder with his eyes partially open, and likewise Harry was also resting his tiny head in the crook of Lily's neck, though he was completely out.

"Looks like all the excitement wore both of them out." Lily stated softly, rubbing her son's back. Sirius noted that James pumped the air silently, apparently happy that Harry would probably be out for the entire night. Remus glanced at his friend in amusement as did Sirius, who looked at James and grinned.

"Glad we could help with a quiet night, Mate." Sirius said teasing. Lily glanced at her husband who seemed to be interested in his cuffs all of a sudden and rolled her eyes.

"Well, have fun Padfoot." James joked as they left. Remus let out a small chuckle, following the Potters out and gave the two a look and Moria felt her cheeks turn red as the door closed. Silence ensued for several seconds before she glanced at Sirius, noting he had a mischievous grin plastered on his face. Without warning he scooped her up into his arms, startling her momentarily.

"Wha-?"

"Come along Mrs. Black. Let us consummate this marriage." He said grinning as her face turned a bright red.

"You know I can walk, right?" she asked and he tsked.

"Of course I do. But I do believe it is muggle tradition to carry the bride the bedroom." He informed and her face turned a deeper red, before sighing and giving a nod.

"Fine Mr. Black. Onward to the bedroom." She teased and could swear she felt him hurry his step, and within a few seconds he had opened the door to the bedroom, enter, before kicking it closed and carrying her to the bed and laying her on it.

"What a pretty dress." He claimed and she laughed.

"I have a feeling that you'll like what's under it a bit m-" She began to joke, but was cut off as he soundly kissed, his hand sliding down under her sweater.

"I like this," she murmured against his mouth. "I really like this."

"Hm? What are you talking about, pretty wife?" he asked her with a smile. She laughed.

"Being married to you," she explained, running her hands over his jaw and securing them in his hair. "I really, really like it."

He leaned down and pressed a kiss on the top of her head, before kissing her gently on the mouth. "I'd have to agree with you on that one."

**WEDDING...HAD TO USE A REFERENCE SINCE I'VE NEVER BEEN TO A WEDDING XD**


	22. JELLY COVERED ONIONS

Sirius stirred slightly, opening his eyes allowing time to adjust to the dim lighting.

"_Morning already."_ He mused rubbing the sleep from his eyes with one hand, becoming aware of a weight on his chest that shifted, murmuring something unintelligible. He glanced down at the figure that was curled up to him, smiling at the Moria who was sleeping soundly next to him. She had rolled sometime in the night, so that her head was on his shoulder, her arm tossed across his chest, and her leg hooked around his. Like a Moria bow, and Sirius couldn't find anything not to like about it. Slowly Sirius slid his free hand over her curves, tracing the delicate features, before resting on her stomach; slightly swollen. Three months pregnant.

It still surprised him every time he thought about it. That growing inside Moria was a small life that he and she created together. But yet there the baby was…and he couldn't help but smile at that notion.

"Still amazes you doesn't it?" a sleepy voice interjected and he looked up meeting Moria's sleep filled eyes staring at him. He offered a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yes…but I don't mind waking up to you." She murmured and he grinned, kissing her again. She murmured softly as he deepened it.

"Sirius Orion Black, after a night like last night you really want another go?" she asked, almost in surprise. Sirius grinned.

"Are you objecting, my lovely wife?" he asked and she grinned.

"Not objecting, just surprised you have the stamina." She stated cupping his face with her hands as he rolled on top of her, mindful of her stomach.

"Well I'm just full of surprises Mrs. Black." He murmured, kissing her deeply and biting her lower lip slightly earning a low moan from Moria. "How about I show you one or two of those said surprises?"

* * *

James looked up as he spotted Sirius and grinned teasingly. "Well look who finally got out of bed." He teased.

"Coming from the bloke I didn't see for two days after his wedding." Sirius retorted and James lightly punched his arm, a grin on his face, as the pair walked into work.

"So has Moria developed any weird food cravings?" James asked. Sirius shook her head.

"Not yet…I mean not that I've noticed."

"Well that's good. Apparently Madge told Lily to tell you to expect Moria to have some weird food cravings though." James said. Sirius looked at him.

"Really? How so?"

"Well apparently her Grandmother, Madge's mother, always had a tendency to eat pineapple, shredded chedder cheese, and ranch dressing…mixed together. And apparently Mable liked to have Vienna sausages covered in peanut butter and ketchup." James said, patting Sirius's shoulder sympathetically. "I pity you mate. Lily's craving was only the occasional ice-cream mixed with Barbeque sauce."

"Yes, and I remember you nearly gagging when she forced you to have a spoonful." Sirius remarked and James shuddered.

"Barbeque sauce or any meat sauce for that matter doesn't belong on ice-cream. It tasted _awful_." James commented and Sirius grinned.

"Yeah, well you have a son out of the deal. I think that was a great reward for having to live through cravings." Sirius said and watched James grin.

"Yup. Harry and Lily are my world." James said and Sirius noted a look of peace on his face that he hadn't seen in months. James then looked at Sirius. "Do you know yet? Boy or girl I mean?" he asked. Sirius shook his head.

"For me as long as the baby is healthy I'll be fine." Sirius said and James grimaced.

"Padfoot, if this kid is even a third stubborn as you and Moria combined, he or she will be fine." James said. Sirius grinned appreciatively. "Merlin, help us if you get a boy." James added but then thought about it. "Actually…maybe having a girl would be scary. I mean we all know what guys act like in Hogwarts." James said offhandedly and Sirius automatically shuddered. If he did have a daughter, no boy would get within five yards of her.

"Not to worry mate, we'll just have to make sure no git gets near her…or at least teach her the tricks that blokes employ to get a girl." James declared and Sirius smirked.

"Maybe you'll be showing her ones that don't work."

"Oi!"

"Which trick managed to get Lily to like you?" He asked with a grin and James grumbled cuffing Sirius on the shoulder.

* * *

"I still can't believe you're pregnant." Alice squealed staring at the four month old baby bump.

"You've said that about ten times. In the past hour." Lily stated as Moria's face turned red again.

"I know. But still, it's so cute. Moria's having a baby." Alice said.

"I have to agree with you on that." Lily stated then looked down at Harry who squealed stretching his chubby arms up towards her. Lily smiled kissing Harry's forehead.

"You two are enjoying this." Moria grumbled, but still instinctively rubbed her baby bump. Lily and Alice grinned.

"Of course we are." Lily stated watching as Alice once again teased Moria and smiled, definitely happy for Moria and Sirius. Even happier because at least one of Moria's attackers was gone.

Dane Chamberlain. That bastard. To her, getting the kiss would be too LIGHT of a punishment for him after all the grief and suffering he had done to Moria. But here wasn't anything else that would be deemed humane for him.

"_Like he deserves anything humane after what he did to her."_ She thought, bouncing Harry slightly on her knee. But she would have to deal with that disappointment.

"So how's the morning sickness going?" Lily asked and Moria shuddered.

"Awful." Moria remarked rolling her eyes when the other two women laughed. "Sirius is being rather complacent about the whole being forced to wake up nearly every morning at 4."

"Aw he's such a sweetie." Alice stated. "Frank got too used to it."

"Well considering that my morning sickness seems to not be stopping, he's gonna have to or he isn't going to get any sleep." She replied dryly and the other two laughed.

* * *

Moria was humming softly as she began to make dinner, leaving her snack—an onion covered in jelly—alone. She looked up when she heard the door unlock and close, her hand automatically going to her pocket. Sirius stepped around the corner.

"Hullo pretty wife." He joked and since not many people knew she was married, knew it was him.

"Hey yourself." She said softly as he came up and kissed her cheek.

"Was the baby behaved?" he asked, running his hand across the stomach. She smiled.

"Mhm." She stated. "A little angel, didn't make me puke all day." Moria said.

"Well that's good." He remarked, kissing her forehead before looking down and noting a circular object covered in a mysterious purple goo.

"What the bloody hell is that?"

"Oh. My snack." She said a blush evident on her face.

"What is it?"

"An onion covered in grape jelly. Want to try?" She asked and the look on his face screamed a big negative. She bit her lip, feeling slightly hurt.

"I'm…not that hungry." He remarked. She rolled her eyes.

"You said that last night too." She stated in a dry tone, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, you're making me feel like a pig since I'm always eating while you aren't. Just because I'm eating for two, doesn't mean I'm a pig." She commented.

"I never said-"

"Unless of course you're implying that I'm fat." She questioned, folding her arms over her chest. Sirius's confused expression quickly shifting to panic. Apparently the conversation had completely gone down the wrong path, and it was spiraling with the possibility sleeping on the couch, he shook his head vigorously.

"NO! Nonononono!" He declared frantically, holding his hands up in a soothing fashion. "You're not fat! I'll try it. Honest." He finally decided. Her expression immediately brightened and she lifted up the periwinkle colored onion. He shifted away from it for a split second and grimaced as he retrieved the sticky vegetable. He stared at the thing as though it would bite him and then, gathering the courage that the Gryffindor house was known to have, took a bite out of it. He choked immediately, but thankfully silent, as the taste of sweet from the jelly and the tangy, bitterness of the onion clashed together.

"Mmmm…" He lied, battling his gagging reflex as he crunched hard on the onion. "It **really** hits the spot."

She was staring at him with a hopeful look and he realized she wasn't going to look away until he swallowed the damn thing. At least Lily had looked away long enough for James spit out the damn scoop that Lily had made him eat. Praying that he wouldn't puke, which would inevitably make her feel bad and make him feel guilty for probably making her cry, he forced himself to swallow the piece of onion. It seemed to lodge in his throat but he managed to shove it down as his stomach rolled.

Finally satisfied she turned and he took that moment to shudder and twitch as though he had just drank a poison. Good God. That was probably the nastiest thing he had EVER tasted. If James ever complained about Lily's food cravings again, he was forcing a jelly covered onion down his throat and-

"You got some jelly on your mouth."

He turned just as Moria grabbed the edge of his jacket and pulled him to her, claiming his mouth with hers. The pair stayed there for several long seconds, before she moved away, a bright smile on his face.

"Love you." She professed. "Now then, how about I make you some chicken?" She asked. He nodded; a stupid grin on his face as he watched her making what was probably an apology meal for forcing him take a bite of her hormone-induced snack. Alright, he finally decided, it was moments like this that reminded him how worthwhile everything was.

* * *

"So how's Moria?" James asked glancing over at Sirius. Sirius grimaced.

"Hormones."

"Ah. How bad could she be?" James asked teasingly, earning a dark look from Sirius.

"Considering that both she and I are getting used to all these 'lovely' emotions that she normally never uses, it's bad." Sirius said. James grimaced; knowing that that meant it was bad. "Plus I've had to eat some of her cravings, so my stomach is in need of a break."

"Oh it can't be that bad."

"When was the last time you've had an onion covered with grape jelly?" Sirius asked and watched as James's face turn a light green.

"Ok…Ew." James said grimacing.

"If I never see an onion again I will be happy." Sirius sighed.

"Not that I don't mind listening to you two talk about my niece and you're allowed to…" Wulfric interrupted before throwing another spell at a Deatheater. "But we're sort of in the middle of something!" he yelled at the two. Sirius grinned before whirling a spell and hitting a Deatheater straight in the chest, propelling the man backwards.

He then heard someone utter a spell to the right of him, and barely managed to dodge. He did however hear a snip, and the back of his head becoming suspiciously lighter.

"They didn't."

"They cut off your ponytail?" Moria asked looking at the back of Sirius's head. The said ponytail was as she had commented: gone. Hit by a cutting hex apparently. The ends of the cut hair stuck out slightly and the back of his head was completely messy, but other than that no wounds or bleeding.

"Bastards." Sirius said running the back of his head, grimacing over the missing length, before hearing snorting, followed by chocking. He looked up to see Moria trying to hold back laughter, ultimately failing, and thus trying to cover it up by hiding her mouth. "Hey! It's not that funny." He professed but slowly felt himself smiling.

"Those fiends. Cutting off your ponytail. But they must be gloating. 'We missed Black, but hey, we got his ponytail'." She joked as he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her gently.

"Little minx." He murmured. "Was the baby good?" he asked and she smiled.

"Mhm." She replied before blinking and glancing down at her stomach, a sudden wide smile on her face.

"What?" he asked, a bit more confused when she reached for his hand, before placing it on her stomach. At first nothing, then…

He blinked when he felt a soft tap on the underside his hand. "Wha… what was that?"

"Kicking," she announced with a bright smile. "Our baby is kicking, Sirius."

In amazement, he felt his child move again under his hand. "Kid's really there…"

Moria chuckled. "I'd assumed my size had given it away already," she said. "Must have missed Dad." She joked and saw Sirius grin, his expression light and carefree. She smiled softly, resting her hand over his. "You are going to be an awesome Dad." She informed and he let out a chuckle, though it sounded slightly bittersweet.

"You never know. I mean I didn't have the greatest of parents." He stated and she cocked her head looking at him.

"Don't say that Sirius. Just because your own Mum and Dad were awful, doesn't mean you will be too." She stated and he gave a look of uncertainty. She sighed forcing him to look at her. "Do you remember when I was saying that I probably couldn't be a mum for fear of snapping and hurting them?" she asked.

"Yeah…which by the way, this is proving my point." Sirius said. "You're an excellent mum."

"Thank you and will be proving mine. You said so yourself. We know what hurts and we know what heals. We're in this together." She stated, intertwining her fingers with his. He blinked and then grinned softly.

"You are something else Moria." He commented.

"One of my many charms."

**ANYTHING YOU WANT TO READ BEFORE MORIA GIVES BIRTH TO SIRIUS AND HER KID?**


	23. SIX MONTHS

Moria exhaled loudly in annoyance as she exited the local grocery store, holding several bags in one arm, reading a magazine she had purchased. Why were baby names so hard to figure out?

"_Should I choose an M name for each…I know Sirius said I had dibs on the first name…and he had dibs on the middle, but couldn't he do both?" _She mused as she flipped through another name list. Did Sirius want a damn star name to go along with his family? She thought of star names she actually knew and immediately shot that idea down. Too extravagant.

Sirius was going to have to deal with a muggle name, even if he didn't want a muggle name

"Well, well, well." A voice interjected and she froze, turning to look at the figure that now stood there, a smirk on his face. She swallowed, moving back a step as she stared at Malcolm, his eyes bearing down on her as he walked over to her. A low growl emanated from the back of her throat, warning him to stay away, but it did little as Moria felt her blood run cold and her eyes locked onto the matching brown eyes though the pair staring at her were a cold and uncaring. He hadn't aged well since he left the asylum. Wrinkles lined the corners of his eyes and mouth, his lips seemed to be forever stuck in a scowl, and there was a grey tint that was growing larger in the once smooth brown hair, which that alone seemed to be thinning. Even then, his gaze seemed to trap her and chain her into the fears that had swallowed her childhood away.

"What is my _**darling**_ niece doing here?" Malcolm said as he walked up to her pretending as though he had an ounce of care to give to her. Moria made no comment instead took a step back, placing a protective hand over her stomach. "Seems like just yesterday you would be begging for scraps from the table."

"What do _you_ want?" she growled out.

"Can't I just be walking on a street and see one of my blood relatives?" He asked and she snorted, glaring at him.

"Yeah right. That's all you meant to do." She snidely replied, her glare dark. "Hate to break it to you, but I'm my father and mother's child. You just happen to be a link that I want nothing more to tear away from." She hissed out, her eyes cool and angry. He chuckled.

"But no matter how much you want to, I still have that bond." He replied evenly. "And I have a much more intimate relationship than any of my siblings will ever have with you."

"Unfortunately." Moria grumbled under her breath. He merely sneered and she felt her stomach turn to ice.

"You can still remember." He said, towering over her. She swallowed. "You can remember everything of what happened to you. Every bruise. Every scar. And how much you deserved every single thing. It must run through your mind like a broken record."

"It's just a reminder of what I will never do to my family." She snarled, backing away. He chuckled but his eyes were likewise just as cool as hers. He then glanced down at her stomach and she felt her heart quicken. He wouldn't attack a pregnant woman would he?

"Ah…I see you are knocked up. Who is the father?" he asked, and she glared at him.

"That's my business. Not yours." She shot back. "And since when did you care about my life?"

"Oh, I don't give a rat's arse about you. I just worry about my namesake, knowing that I have a little whore for a niece…"

"This coming from the man who had a prostitute for a girlfriend." Moria replied. His glare darkened. "You forget _**Uncle **_Malcolm; I lived in the shadows when I was in your 'care'. I know just as many secrets about you as you do for me." She continued. He was silent and then smirked.

"You are such a disappointment. Your father would have disowned you years ago." He said and she gritted her teeth. He just had to pull that one.

"He would have killed you years ago." She snapped back and his expression turned murderous. He began to advance towards her but stopped when something black and shaggy jumped in front of him, growling loudly. Moria blinked in surprise, glancing down. It only took her a second to realize that Sirius now stood in front of her in his Animagus form, growling angrily at Malcolm, the hair on the back of his sticking up. As expected Malcolm took a step back in alarm. Moria glanced back at him, her eyes cool.

"I see you got a dog." He said glancing down at the beast and Moria smirked.

"And wouldn't you know it he hates your guts. But then again that shouldn't surprise you. You aren't liked by the general society." She said, her voice laced in sarcasm. "Stay away from me and my family, Malcolm. If you don't I will not hesitate in sicking him onto you. I can pretty much ensure you that he will enjoy it." she said, her voice threatening. He swallowed and glanced down at the dog, whose every muscle was taut and his body was ready to pounce.

"Well. It's been a nice chat Moria." He said, coughing to clear his throat as the dog growled louder, his ears flat against his skull, his tail flicking from side to side and all his teeth were showing.

"_**Goodbye**_ Malcolm. And by goodbye I mean for good." Moria said, turning on her heel and walking away, the dog following her, still growling. A few minutes later when Moria turned down an empty street towards the park, Sirius finally changed back to his human form, catching up to Moria in record time.

"Are you alright?"

"Am I-! Bloody hell Sirius, do you know what could have happened to you?" Moria asked, allowing Sirius to wrap an arm around her waist.

"It's not me I'm worried about my pregnant wife. I'm a big boy."

"And I'm a big girl, Sirius. Merlin, what if he hadn't backed down?" Moria asked. "He could have kicked you!"

"And then he would then know what it feels like to have a dog bite down on his ankle." He replied and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I knew what I was doing Moria. He should have known that he was playing with fire the moment he walked up to you." He said.

"But Sirius-"

"No buts." Sirius interrupted, pulling her to him, cupping her face in his hands. "You are my wife Moria. It's one of my jobs to protect you. And it's something I would gladly do over and over again." He said, kissing her brow gently. She sighed.

"Did he do anything to you?"

"Besides trying to hurt me emotionally? No. And even then he didn't really hurt me. Just anger me."

"That's good." He said, smiling and brushed his hand against her stomach, his grin widening as he felt a kick against his palm. "See? Even the kid is cheering for me." He said and she laughed.

"Sirius Orion Black, I swear."

"I love you Babe." He grinned, pulling her closer to him. She rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless.

"Yeah, well I love you too." She murmured.

* * *

It was a few days later when James and Lily came to visit that they found Moria on the couch reading, Sirius nowhere to be found.

"Where's Padfoot? You didn't murder him, did you?" James asked and Moria laughed shaking her head.

"He's trying to assemble a cot-!" She began to say but was cut off by a loud curse and she looked back at the couple, amused. "Trying being the main operative word."

"Why doesn't he use magic?"

"He insists that since muggle men can set up a cot without magic, he can too." Moria stated amused.

"Well might as well go help him. Let you girls talk." James said grabbing Harry. "Come along son. Let's go help Uncle Paddy build your 'cousin' a cot." James added and left before Lily could object, picked up Harry and walked away. Lily shook her head before sitting down next to Moria.

"So how are you?"

"I'm good. Tired…but that's because the littlest Black is now using my bladder as a punching bag in the middle of the night." She explained, rubbing her swollen stomach and Lily laughed.

"Harry did the same with me around my sixth month too." She said looking at her stomach with an interest.

"Oh joy." Moria teased.

"So…did you decide who is going to be the godmother?"

"Of course we did…"

"And?"

"We chose Bellatrix." Moria joked earning a slight punch on the shoulder.

"Moria!"

"I kid. I kid. Like I would even think about giving my kid's life to any of the women in Sirius's family." Moria remarked, running her hand over her stomach. "He would kill me and I would send myself to an asylum. Of course we decided it to be you. That is, of course, if you accept." Moria stated before Lily's face broke out into a wide grin and she pulled Moria into a hug, bouncing slightly. "I'll take that as a big yes?"

"Of course that is a yes!"

"Good. Because Sirius is probably asking James to be the Godfather right now." Moria stated before they heard a loud yell that sounded like 'Bloody yes!' and Moria knew Sirius had just asked James.

She smiled.

* * *

"I think you did fine."

"It took me three hours, and that was with James's help." Sirius complained as they were lying down on the bed, her resting her head on his shoulder.

"If it's any consolation it took my Dad and my uncles five hours to get my cot ready." Moria stated. "And that's not counting how many hours it was that my Dad tried to do it by himself." She added looking up. He laughed slightly, resting his hand on her stomach.

"So seems like your Daddy isn't incompetent."

"Oh you are never incompetent Sirius Black." Moria murmured with a smile. He chuckled

"You are so nice to me Moria Black." Sirius commented, kissing her gently and she laughed softly.

"Of course I am." She replied before yawning.

"Get some sleep." He ordered softly kissing her forehead. She murmured something that sounded like an 'Okay' before she curled up next to him and he felt her body relax against his. Sleep took her pretty quickly nowadays, he mused. It didn't really help that she would go to the bathroom nearly every other half an hour, but still it was rather amusing how quickly sleep would take her over nowadays. He rubbed her stomach, smiling at the slight tap against his hand.

"Hey Kid…be a doll and let Mummy sleep tonight…okay?" he asked softly. As though it was a response there was another light kick to his hand and Moria shifted. He withheld a chuckle.

Defying orders…

Just like Daddy.

* * *

"Sirius..."

The said man grumbled and buried his head further into the pillow, trying to stifle the noise that was currently assaulting his ears and disrupting his sleep.

"Sirius…" The voice called out again this time coupled with a hard poke to his side. He jerked and blearily lifted his head, staring into the alert pair of brown eyes.

"What's the matter…?" he slurred, shifting and brushing his hair out of his face, looking at Moria wearily. There was no hint of fear, so it wasn't an emergency, thankfully…but it still led to question of what she wanted.

"The baby's hungry."

"…okay?" he asked his mind still slow with sleep. She continued staring at him. Seconds later, it dawned on him and he groaned face planting onto his pillow.

"Can't you have anything that we already have?"

"But…" she trailed off and he looked up and saw she was now pouting. He groaned and then forced himself to sit up, scratching his head as he forced himself out of the bed. "The damn puppy dog pout is supposed to be my thing." He grumbled as he pulled on a shirt. She chuckled and slid out of the bed, kissing his cheek gently.

"Well I had an excellent teacher."

"Of course you did." He grumbled under his breath. "So what do you want?" He asked as he pulled on a jacket. She grinned.

"Can you get some corn, peanut butter, and ham please?" She asked politely, almost in an apologetic tone. He stared at her almost debating about asking what she was going to eat with THAT combination, but then decided against it, and kissed her brow.

"I'll be back in a little bit." He stated and she gave him a soft smile, before he exited the flat, walking slowly down the stairs and exiting. He shuddered at the early morning chill. Despite being summer, despite it getting close to being Neville and Harry's birthdays, the mornings were always a bit chilly. How did he know this? Why, that was because he was becoming a regular customer of the local 7-11 for Moria's random and disgusting snack attacks in the wee hours of the morning.

"_If it's one thing I won't miss about the pregnancy, it's her eating habits."_ He thought dryly as the familiar dinging sound of the door entered his sleep deprived mind, and he yawned, grabbing a basket and began to search the aisles for the requested items. Finally he found corn, peanut butter, and some canned ham. He yawned as he went to the checkout lane.

"My, my…seems Mr. Black has returned." The elderly cashier remarked with a knowing smile. Sirius gave the man a weary smile, before yawning. The two had started talking a bit more with each visit that Sirius had had to make in the middle of the night.

"Yeah."

"The wife having more food cravings?" He asked as he rang up the corn. Sirius offered another weary smile, and the old man chuckled.

"Not really any different for when my wife had our kids." He commented as he bagged the three items. "Though I'd have to say your wife's food cravings are a bit odder than my Harper ever had." He commented. Sirius gave a shrug, scratching his head and yawned again. The old cashier chuckled, handing him the bags.

"Hope your wife enjoys the midnight snack." The man called out as Sirius left the store. The trip back to the flat seemed to be slow as he observed the surroundings in the dim early morning light. It was so still, almost peaceful, as though the world wasn't going through shit. He exhaled slowly and closed his eyes, imagining the world being like this forever.

He would make sure this world actually became a reality. For Harry…for his kid…for any of the children being born into this world of danger…they needed a world where the fear of being killed in the middle of the night. Finally he reached the entrance to the flat and entered yawning and became aware of soft humming. He peered into the kitchen and saw Moria humming softly as she ran her hand over her stomach, a soft smile on her face. The dim light of the morning gave her that same soft glow that he had seen nearly two years ago when she was making breakfast. She looked up and gave a soft, tired smile.

"Hey." She whispered, glancing at the bag. He grinned and raised the bag up.

"I have returned my fair lady from the bowels of the dreaded 7-11 dragon." He teased. She chuckled and walked over, pecking his lips gently as she retrieved the hold of the bag.

"Ah my fair knight in shining armor…" She teased and he grinned, watching as she pulled the contents of the bag out and pulled out a bowl from the cabinet. "Relax, I'm not going to make you eat this." She joked as she scooped out the contents and placed them into bowl mixing them together, adding ketchup as an afterthought. His disgusted face was a big enough hint as she took a spoonful of the ham, canned corn, peanut butter, and ketchup and ate it, that he would take her word on that.

"So…any middle name ideas?" She asked through her fourth or fifth spoonful. He raised an eyebrow and gave her a look. She shrugged. "Hey, I want to figure out a first name that actually flows."

He chuckled, leaning against the counter. "I suppose that would be necessary.

"So?"

"Well for the boy I was thinking of something like Asher."

"Nice…I like that." She commented after another spoonful. "Though I'm surprised. You aren't going to follow the lovely tradition of using your name for the middle name."

"Can you imagine if I did that?" Sirius asked in a teasing tone. "James would never stop giving me grief that I copied him…besides…Sirius isn't a good middle name." He explained and she chuckled.

"True, true. Darn…I guess Severus is out of the question if the kid is a boy. Too mouthy of a name." She teased and he looked disgusted.

"No. No, no, and no." He replied and she laughed.

"I thought I got to choose the first name."

"I get the power to veto." He retorted and she rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out.

"And if the baby is a girl?"

"…I was thinking…maybe Bryn." He answered after a moment of hesitation. Moria looked at him shocked, blinking. "Hear me out okay? I want…I don't know…maybe our kid to have a bit of Bryn's personality."

"Her personality?"

"Not all of it. Just how she could see the good in any situation." Sirius explained. "I mean, she was forced to have a kid, and instead of hating it, she raised Geoffrey to the best of her abilities, and she never once complained about what she went through, at least not that I could remember. And how she never cared about a person based on what they were…just how they were and how they acted…those types of qualities I want our kid to have." He explained, shifting uncomfortably. "You can feel free to veto it if you want."

"No. No, I like it." Moria soothed. "Did you tell Remus…I'd rather not have him upset over it."

"I asked. He seemed alright with it. A bit surprised that I would consider that name, but well…he gave me his blessing." He replied. She smiled walking over to him, and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his chest.

"You are probably one of the sweetest blokes I've ever met." She spoke softly. He grinned before she pecked his lips again. "I'm incredibly lucky to have married you." She remarked.

"Of course you are." He boasted.

"Granted it wasn't for your modesty." She stated with a laugh. "Now, how can I thank you for such a journey to the dreaded 7-11?" She asked, and he tugged on her hair a grin on his face.

"A better kiss than the last one." He remarked and she rolled her eyes before rising forward and pulling him to her, kissing him deeply. She made a soft humming sound that simply _enthralled_ him and he moved his mouth, pushing the kiss deeper. He could taste the interesting mixture of what she had just eaten, and it shouldn't have been remotely appetizing, in fact it should have killed his advances right then. But it didn't. She groaned softly, before she finally parted, her eyes hazy and filled with a particular emotion that he was very familiar with, which had been rare for the past month and he was now no longer tired.

"Sirius…"

"Bedroom. Now." Sirius rasped and she groaned, pulling him to her again.

"Fine by me."

**lalala...read and review :)**


	24. THAT LITTLE PINK BLANKET

Moria sat in the living room, running her hand over her stomach, impatient, unable to even fake feeling at ease. Why would she, though? It had been a rough sleepless night. She was alone, looking around the room as if she expected anything to change; any tiny movement. Anything. And yet there was nothing, not even a sound of a bird outside fluttering its wings. It was though time had frozen, leaving her the only moving occupant.

Yet that wasn't true. As she glanced out the window, she could see that it was getting lighter outside, and in the distance, and slowly, she heard a few birds starting to awaken, greeting the morning sun that would make its way above the London rooftops in no time. Her eyes darted anxiously to the clock on the wall: five to six. It was five to six and, still, no news from Sirius. From anyone actually.

She ran her hand over her stomach again, impatient. She should have been there with them, but Sirius had flat out rejected the idea. She was pregnant, he had argued, in no condition to fight, and there was no way he was going to risk losing either of them again. She felt phantom pain travel from her shoulder, and her mood soured further. Did he have to remind her of _that_? Since when was he good at winning arguments? Honestly-

A knock on the door, broke her thoughts. Her heart racing, she sprang up hastily and headed to the entrance, wand at the ready, dodging the furniture clumsily in the dim bluish light streaming in through the window.

"Sirius?" she asked tensely.

"Yes." A tired voice answered back.

Moria frowned on the other side of the door. That was never a good sign. "Where and when was our first kiss?'

"On the beach at your aunt and uncles place after the talent show where we first heard you sing." Croaked the voice in response, "What do they do to the dead house-elves at my house?"

"They cut their heads and hang them on the wall."

With her own questioning complete, Moria swung the door open with such force it hit the wall with a reverberating 'BANG' causing it to bounce back half the way. Sirius stood framed on the doorway, great shadows under his bloodshot eyes. Nope. That was never good. But right then she didn't care. He was there…breathing…alive. He stepped inside and, the moment he closed the door behind him, Moria lunged forward and wrapped him in a tight embrace.

Sirius closed his eyes and let his senses shut down, all except smell, which he kept busy with the scent of Moria, trying to forget what had happened hours before. The memories still slid into his consciousness, though and he frowned, pressing his face harder into her neck, kissing it softly. It had been a rough night for the Order of the Phoenix. No matter how annoyed she was, no matter how angry she was, even though he knew she hated being away from the fight, having to wait till someone came for her, he was glad that he had forced her stay home, not just because of her pregnancy, but he was also scared anything would happen to her again. They hadn't found whoever had written that note to her, whoever had nearly sent her to her death. And he be damned if he was going to lose her like…He swallowed as that night's events played back.

"The McKinnons are dead." he finally managed to voice. She gasped and drew some space between them, looking him in the eye with watery eyes of her own, in disbelief. He knew that Marlene and her had never been close, different personalities, different attitudes. But still the pair was amicable to each other, even to the point of where she had been one of the first people to all but tackle Moria when she had returned. "They created a diversion." He explained. "We were fighting a few of them, a few miles away…Voldemort himself and some from his inner circle showed up at the house…"

He didn't need to elaborate. She had figured the rest of the story. "How could we not know they were planning on it?" Moria stuttered, surveying his face, full with exhaustion and frustration. He shook his head, and Moria closed her eyes, allowing the questioning to cease. He didn't need that right now. She ran her hands over his face, and he leaned into her touch. Slowly she felt a hand travel down the swell of her stomach, resting where their child was slowly growing. He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers, the memories of the night replaying in his head. It had drudged up memories and fears that he had wanted to remain buried. The Dark Mark over the McKinnon's house had been a reminder of the danger that everyone was in, and his imagination had gone into overdrive, sending thoughts and fears of arriving home only to find the same scene.

"We're all right." he muttered, and then again. "We're all right."

Moria nodded, pressing herself to him.

"Yeah. We're all right." She echoed. If only for him, she would repeat that till time stopped.

If only for him.

* * *

It was August 14, 1981 nearly dusk. Moria was now 9 months, nearing her due date and currently they were visiting Lily and James. She blinked and looked down when a small hand tugged on her skirt. She saw a pair of bright green eyes staring at her expectedly.

"Hey Harry. What are you doing up?" she asked. It was late, extremely late for a little boy. Harry smiled, showing his baby teeth that had just started to protrude out of his gums, and laughed happily at the woman he considered his aunt.

"Tii MoMo! Up!" Harry cried out raising his chubby arms up, ignoring Moria's question all together. "Up! Up!" he continued waving his arms. Moria sighed glancing at herself. She had been having issues with getting up, standing up, bending over…actually anything that really involved movement. She wasn't sure she could bend over and pick up the now one year old, but he seemed to be insistent at being picked up.

"What are you doing up, Prongsling?" she heard someone say and turned to see Sirius coming in. "Your Mum may not be the happiest of women to know you managed to escape your cot." Harry simply ignored him, still trying to get Moria to pick him. Sirius grinned realizing what the young boy wanted from Moria and walked up to the little boy.

"Sorry Prongsling. Aunt Momo can't pick you up right now." Sirius said, grunting as he picked up the boy who giggled at him, and began to babble in incoherent words and syllables. Moria glared at her husband, running her hand over her stomach annoyed.

"Thanks for making me feel even larger than I am, Sirius." Moria complained.

"You aren't large Moria. You're pregnant and there's a difference." Sirius said, kissing her cheek. Moria glared at him, but felt her lips curve as he kissed her.

"Icky!" Harry complained. Sirius glared at him teasingly.

"You say that now kid, but you'll be asking your Dad and me about girls when you get older." Sirius avowed. Harry cocked his head to the side, obviously not understanding what Sirius was talking about. His attention changed when Lily hit Sirius upside the head and took her son into her arms.

"No way am I letting _you_ of all people tell my son how to date."

"Hey! If you don't remember, I dated Moria since our sixth year." Sirius exclaimed.

"There are still years 3-5 though Sirius Black." Lily reminded as though chastising him. Moria laughed softly, before covering a yawn. However she didn't cover it up well enough to where Sirius didn't notice.

"Alright, well we better head back to our place so Moria can sleep." Sirius said.

"It was just a yawn." Moria argued.

"Yeah, but the littlest Black in our family rarely lets you sleep at night." Sirius counted and Moria glared but didn't comment. There was really no argument there.

"Go get some sleep Moria. Your due date is soon anyways." Lily commented and Moria sighed.

"Fine. Bye Harry…be nice to Mummy and Daddy okay?"

"No!" The little boy cheered and Lily and James sighed knowing that this was going to be a long night. Moria and Sirius laughed, before leaving. It was later that night when the pager awoke Sirius quickly and he blinked sleepily, glancing at the clock and letting out a groan before snatching the infernal device off of the nightstand. He already knew what it was going to say, but nonetheless he grumbled when he saw that there was a raid and he was needed.

"Another raid?" A voice asked and he glanced up to see Moria had turned and was staring at him, her eyes half-open. He reached over and kissed her forehead.

"Go back to sleep. I should be back a little bit later."

She yawned and didn't argue, giving insight onto how tired she was. "Alright. Be safe Dog-Boy."

"I will." He replied with a chuckle.

"Love you."

"Love you too."

She could hear him leave the room and heard the familiar sound of him disapparating away. With a tired sigh she rolled on her side and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Moria awoke with a start as she felt her abdomen erupt in agony…almost as though she was being cut in half. She glanced down at her stomach. It couldn't be time already could it? She still had-

She let out a hiss as the wave of pain traveled from her abdomen into the rest of her body. Either something was horribly wrong, or she was in labor. And she prayed, PRAYED that it was the latter. Finally the pain subsided and she struggled to stand, or at least sit up, managing to grab her wand. She allowed her body to calm down, taking several deep breaths, then after a few minutes summoned the strength to find happy memories.

"Expecto Patronum."

A silvery dog appeared and for a brief second she hesitated. Who the hell could she call? Sirius was the obvious choice, but seeing as she didn't know where the hell he was and telling him mid-mission that she was in labor was liable to get him killed. James was the same. Lily was the next obvious choice, but she didn't know how Harry would handle a side apparition along with going to the hospital.

"_Fine."_ Moria decided. "Go to Chelsea, tell her I think I'm in labor. And ask her whether or not I am allowed to floo." She hissed out. The dog seemed to understand and raced away. She exhaled slowly, running a hand over her stomach.

"Just had to give me a heart attack didn't you?" She asked to the infant. The response came as another contraction and she inhaled sharply. "Alright, alright. Sorry I ask-"

"Moria?!"

She looked up in surprise and spotted her friend. Had her patronus arrived to Chelsea that quickly? Or had it been longer than she thought? Nonetheless she extended her wand, almost in warning.

"Oh for crying-! The reason I became a healer was to stop people from dying unnecessarily. Because of my grandmother, who died because of a robbery gone sour." Chelsea stated, exasperated. Moria finally lowered her wand, and exhaled slowly, allowing Chelsea to move forward.

"How far along?"

"The contractions?" Moria clarified. Chelsea narrowed her eyes. "About eight minutes apart." Moria answered, running her hand over her stomach. "Hurts like hell."

Chelsea frowned and observed Moria. Then she nodded and helped the other woman stand. "We're going to take you to Mungo's."

"Sirius-"

"I'll make sure the Daddy-to-be gets there, but first I need to get you there." Chelsea stated. Moria nodded silently and the duo left.

* * *

"Dear God…I'm exhausted." Sirius groaned as he dragged his feet. James chuckled.

"You're exhausted? Try having a one year old and then having to leave when you just fell asleep. Oh wait. You'll find out in a year, won't you?" James stated. Sirius offered a glare as he opened the door, trying to be quiet so he wouldn't wake Moria. He then realized that something was amiss. It was incredibly still, empty feeling.

"Moria?"

No answer.

"That's…not good…she wasn't visiting family was she?"

"She was still here when I left last night." Sirius hissed out.

"Maybe she went on a walk."

"At three in the morning?"

"…Right." James replied, gripping his wand tightly.

"_Finally."_

The two men turned to see a tiger patronus appearing. It seemed to be glaring at Sirius.

"_I highly suggest that Mr. Black gets to Mungo's, unless he wants to miss his kid being born."_ The tiger stated, in Chelsea's voice. Sirius stood there for a second, dumbfounded as the patronus vanished. He then looked at James.

"Let's go. Now!"

* * *

Pacing…what the hell did pacing bloody do, Moria thought dryly as she turned in her spot, trying desperately not to growl at another instruction from the healer. Why did Chelsea have to leave for a moment and leave her with the gabbiest healer in the world? Couldn't she have left her with Roan, who had looked at her in disdain at the thought of having a child during the war? She could handle disdain; even use it to her advantage whenever she actually had a contraction. She didn't have the heart to snap at this girl, who was only a trainee and doing her job. But swear to Merlin, if she made one more comment about how great she was doing-

"Mr. Black, I understand your worry, but we have a procedure-"

"I don't bloody care about procedure! My wife is in there! The least I could do before she actually has the kid is wish her luck!" a voice snarled and the door opened. The healer trainee squeaked, scrambling away. Heart of lion she had. However, Moria merely smiled as Sirius hurried in, Roan close behind looking about ready to argue. Sirius, being himself, ignored her, walking up to Moria, a dazed look mixed with a worried look on his face.

"Hey." She murmured.

"Hey." He replied, cupping her face, searching her face and expression. "This is really happening? The baby's coming?"

"No, Sirius. I just decided to wake up at one in the morning to be dragged to Mungo's for no-" She began to retort, before she inhaled sharply, pressing her forehead suddenly into his chest, one hand pressing against her back, while the other gripped a large amount of his shirt tightly. His reaction was immediate. She felt his hand press against the one on her back, the other running through her hair. He pressed his mouth against her temple. They stood there for a few seconds, before her grip relaxed.

"Sorry…contraction." She explained.

"It's okay. Why are you standing? Shouldn't you be like…lying down?"

"Makes the contractions go quicker…supposedly." She grumbled. "I hate it."

He kissed her forehead. "Sorry…should have been there to help you get here." He responded. She shook her head, pressing her face into his chest.

"You're here now…that's what matters. I'd kill you if you didn't show up." She responded. He chuckled, kissing her forehead again. She offered a smile.

"Ready to be a dad, Mr. Black?"

He offered a light smile, moving her head up to where she was facing him. His grin brightened and her heart slowed in relief. "Yeah…I'm ready. Ready to be a mum, Mrs. Black?" He asked, and she laughed, going on tiptoe to kiss him.

"I hope so…oh and Roan looks about ready to hex you."

"Yeah, well…to bloody hell with her."

* * *

"Padfoot, for the love of God, stop pacing!" James groaned as he watched his best friend turn on his heel again. Sirius only offered an angry glare.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you didn't fare any better when Lily was in labor." Sirius growled out, turning around again.

"True, but you're getting glares from other people in Mungo's right now." James stated, glancing at several healers who had scowled at Sirius.

"Tough luck." Sirius growled out in retort. James groaned, flopping his head on the back of the seat he was sitting in. It would be fine if this had just started. But it had been _**SIX HOURS**_ of nonstop pacing; only stopping occasionally when he was forced to eat or at least drink something. As much as James understood Sirius's anxiety, this was getting ridiculous.

"Look, Lily and Alice would be saying the same thing too if they were here."

"Well considering you sent Lily a Patronus a little while ago, I guess we'll find out won't we?" Sirius snapped. James frowned. If he didn't stop soon, so help him he was going to-

A loud pained yell sounded down the hall, much louder than before. It tapered off and then mere seconds later a new sound echoed down the corridor.

An outraged squall of an infant.

James perked up and glanced at Sirius, who had frozen mid-step, staring at the doors in a muted shock. This crying however didn't cease, and several minutes later Chelsea stepped out, a glowing smile on her face. She walked over to Sirius, who was standing there dumbly, and she patted his arm.

"Why don't you go say hello to your daughter?" Chelsea suggested, her voice soft that Sirius nearly didn't hear her, and for the first time in her life of knowing him, saw his eyes growing glassy. He would never admit it of course, just like he would never admit to fainting after finding out Moria was pregnant, but there it was. "Third door on the left."

He looked past Chelsea, and without even a 'thank you' walked past her. Chelsea merely smiled, and watched him leave. Hadn't even seen his child, and he was already wrapped into a pretzel around his daughter's fingers.

* * *

It seemed that time had slowed down the moment Chelsea had announced his daughter had come to this world. His daughter. Merlin, he had a _daughter_. Nine months of preparing and it had taken a second to tear any thought process away. What if she hated him? Didn't want him as a dad? Sure he had made his mistakes but-! His thought process departed as he finally spotted the door that Chelsea had told him to go to. It took him a few seconds to ultimately reach the door where his wife and now child were. Hesitantly, he opened it, poking his head in and immediately spotted Moria, sitting up in the bed, her legs bent slightly as she lay on the bed.

She was drenched in sweat, her hair hastily pulled back in a ponytail, though most of it had fallen out and stuck to the back of her neck. The collar of her shirt had fallen slightly, revealing her collarbone and the scars she had gotten months previously. Her face was red, the area around her eyes mirroring the same color as she stared at a small blanket that she was currently holding, cooing softly at it. She bent down and gave a soft kiss to the figure inside the blanket, withdrawing when the bundle gave a loud whine.

"I know, I know…it's a bit different here, isn't it?" She whispered softly at the whimpering parcel she held. "I'm sorry about that sweetheart, but you have no idea how happy I am to finally see you." She continued. He cleared his throat, causing her to look up. She offered a watery smile and several tears slid down her face as she laughed at his expression.

"You'll catch flies with your mouth open like that Sirius." Moria murmured. "Come on, she won't bite." She offered. Dumbly, he moved forward and sat on the edge of the bed, right next to Moria. She shifted and moved the bundle, so he could see the form inside.

The tiny infant squirmed in protest, letting out another soft whimper. She was wrinkly and red, sharply contrasting the dark clump of hair that adorned her head, her eyes only opened partially enough where he could see the baby blue that were hers right now, though he was pretty sure that her eyes would change eventually. She had a little button nose, and when he observed her hands that squirmed their way out of the blanket's hold, he could count ten tiny little fingers, each no larger than width of his thumb. Then one little hand reached out, and grabbed the digit he had brought over to shift the blanket, wrapping the tiny hand around his index finger, too tiny to even wrap fully around it.

And right then, he knew. He just _KNEW_.

He was sunk. Completely and utterly sunk.

"Oh sweet Merlin." He finally whispered. Moria gave another watery laugh.

"That's good right?"

"She's…Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful." Sirius whispered, staring at her, memorizing every single detail. "Perfect."

"Ten toes and ten fingers." Moria murmured, resting her head on Sirius's shoulder. "Two eyes, two ears. A nose. A belly button. All there." Moria continued and gave another short laugh, tears sliding down her cheeks. "She's here Sirius. She made it."

"Stubborn gene." Sirius reminded roughly. "Thank God she got that from us." He added. Moria let out a soft laugh as Sirius kissed her temple, looping one arm around Moria's shoulder, the other, after their daughter had freed the finger, pressing against the back of the blanket, weaving into Moria's hand that rested there, gently stroking the wedding band. "You were brilliant."

"You were too."

"I wasn't in here." Sirius argued, brushing his thumb across her knuckle. She laughed.

"True, but I could sense that you were out there in the waiting room." She explained. "You didn't leave completely, so you're in the clear for that." She reasoned. "Probably a good thing you weren't here though. The amount of pain I was in, I was likely to try and strangle you multiple times." She added and he chuckled, just staring at their daughter.

"She needs a name."

"Mm…I agree." She replied, brushing a finger across the fringe of their child's hair.

"Any ideas?" He asked. She chuckled and looked at him.

"And here I thought you would want elaborate star idea for a name."

"At this moment, I can't think of any." He stated. She smiled.

"Yet another rare Black tongue-tied moment." She joked, earning a mocking glare, to which she smiled, relaxing into his side. "…How about Maxine?"

"Maxine?"

"Means greatest." She explained softly. "I mean we already decided on her middle name to be Bryn, and because what she went through when she was only five weeks, surviving under great circumstances that I don't know if a lot of babies could do the same…" she stated looking up at him. "What do you think?"

He stared at his daughter, observing her. Maxine. Farthest away from the star names that his family had given out to their family members. And it went along with Moria' family tradition of having a name that started with M. A final smack to his family of disregarding all of his family traditions. He smiled.

"Maxine," Sirius repeated to himself. He could imagine calling her Maxine—or most likely Max as that would be absolutely an awesome nickname. "It sounds good. It's nice, it's clean. Maxine Bryn Black. AKA Max."

Moria smiled and looked down at her newborn. "You like your name, don't you?"

The little girl responded with a yawn, curling up to her and Moria smiled before turning to Sirius. "Do you want to hold her?" she asked and he balked looking at her.

"She looks so fragile…"

Moria shook her head with a small laugh. "Harry wasn't when you held him. She's not either. She won't break, I promise. Get your arms ready," she told him before, very carefully, passing him the newborn girl.

Sirius moved stiffly at first but, after a few seconds holding his daughter, he realized Moria was right and the girl was not as fragile as he'd imagined. In fact she squirmed and then looked up at him, giving a mewling yawn and snuggling up to his warmth. He felt a rush of emotion and he certainly would have fallen had he been standing. Then a rush of energy flowed through him. He got up and paced around the room with little Max in his arms. The feeling of holding his newborn child was certainly one the best experiences he had had in his life. He couldn't believe that in his arms was the little girl that he had talked to and had felt the soft kicks was in his arms now. He looked up at Moria with a bright grin, which in her mind nearly echoed the smile he had given her when they married. "You know I love you, don't you?"

"I think I have a little idea. And I love you too…" Moria replied, smiling back.

Chelsea coughed, gaining their attention. Apparently she had entered the room again, but was giving a bright smile. "Black, go show your brand new kid to your friends outside before they break down the door." she suggested. "Just bring her back in, let's say, in twenty minutes, so Moria can feed her?"

"Yes Ma'am. Besides, I need to go show off our daughter to her godparents." Sirius said then smiled at Moria before leaving and Chelsea closed the door out of him.

"Not even alive for two minutes and she already has him wrapped around her finger." Chelsea joked and Moria laughed. It had been worth it. Totally and most definitely worth it.

* * *

The large group of friends looked up as the door opened and Sirius walked out hurriedly before the door swung shut. "Well?!" Lily and Alice asked simultaneously, standing and incidentally awakening the two sleeping boys again. Harry blinked looking confused at his mother as to why she had woken him up again. Neville open his eyes a fraction in confusion. Sirius grinned before shifting the small form in his arms.

"Say hello to Maxine Bryn Black." He commented and they all swarmed around him. Lily and Alice gushed over the little girl who was apparently asleep. Harry and Neville looked at the little girl then at each other, apparently not seeing what the big deal, which required them to get up in the early morning and wait at the hospital, was. Geoffrey looked slightly more interested and peered over, but then shrugged. He was only three…what difference would it make?

"Baby, smaw." Harry commented.

"Yes she is honey." Lily commented surprised that Harry was so coherent this early. Neville was just staring at Maxine, barely awake.

"Wow Padfoot. She has your hair. That's going to be fun to brush out when she's older." James commented looking at his Goddaughter. Sirius glared at him playfully.

"Gee thanks Prongs." Sirius grumbled.

"Well it looks a bit wavier, so maybe she has his hair color, but I think she has Moria's hair type." Alice commented.

"She is adorable, that's what it trickles down to." Lily commented. "Isn't that right Harry?"

"Smaw." Harry said, still staring at Max with a sleepy curiosity. Sirius grinned rubbing Harry's head with his free hand.

"Yup. She's small Harry. But when she's older you and Neville will have to protect her from all the gits in Hogwarts." Sirius said to the one year old who looked at his mother in confusion as he had never heard the word 'git' before.

"Sirius!" Lily exclaimed as Sirius grinned. However she couldn't hold back the smile as the newest addition to the Marauder family shifted in her father's hold, his grip remain steadfast on her tiny form. Max, just continued to sleep in her father's arms, completely oblivious to the small argument and joking that was going on around her. Likewise everyone was oblivious to notice that Peter was staring at Sirius, his face darkening before he walked down the hall, apparating away the moment he had vanished from view.


	25. SIMPLICITY

It was so odd…looking at something so tiny and fragile, Sirius mused as he ran a finger over his tiny daughter's fist. Max made a grunting sound, squirming slightly but the promise of food from Moria silenced her as she continued to feed.

"She has your appetite." Moria commented tiredly and he chuckled.

"Well the grocery bill is going to be high then."

"I guess it will be." She replied. Sirius kissed her temple running a hand over the top of Max's head, brushing against the fringe. She shifted, but continued suckling, causing Sirius to grin. Moria chuckled.

"Definitely has your appetite."

"…She looks like you." Sirius commented. Moria glanced at him and then back down at their daughter. She thought she could see some features of hers, but she could really see Sirius's features. The same shaped nose, the hair color, the light blue eyes that she was sure was going to turn grey in a few weeks. Finally she moved Max away, who protested for a second, but stopped when Moria shushed him, Sirius running his thumb over her fringe. She looked at him with a soft smile.

"I have a feeling people are going to beg to differ when she gets older especially with the Black family hair color." Moria teased. "Maybe she'll have your eyes."

"Oh great."

"I happen to love your eyes, so it wouldn't be a bad thing." She argued. Sirius continued to stare at his now sleeping daughter who was held securely in her arms, one little hand gripping his index finger in her sleep. Moria offered a curious look.

"What makes you think she looks like me?" She asked, and he glanced at her before back at their daughter.

"She has your eye shape, that same expression when you're asleep, the wavy hair. There is a lot." He explained. She offered a soft laugh and rested her head on his shoulder, yawning, her body relaxed. He smiled.

"I'll take her off your hands if you want." He murmured. She nodded as she yawned again, and allowed him to retrieve the small parcel from her. Gently he repositioned Max in his arms, content and relieved that she remained blissfully asleep. Moria soon fell asleep next to him, exhausted. In all honesty he should have left and gone home…been asleep hours ago.

But he couldn't. He couldn't leave, and he couldn't put Max down. She was his little miracle.

It would have been a lie if Moria or he had said they hadn't been worried throughout the pregnancy. Those three weeks where Moria had been captured still haunted him to that very moment and the memories, plus what Chamberlain had informed him of intention hadn't made the worry grow dimmer. And despite Chelsea's reassurances they had been terrified that something would have been wrong with her.

Yet here she was, sleeping in his arms, completely healthy.

Max yawned and snuggled into his warmth, and he smiled. He kissed her forehead gently and she let out a soft coo. His smile widened before he looked at Moria. She slept peacefully, her breathing light and relaxed. He looked back at Max who was, like her mother, asleep.

"Hey sweetheart…" he murmured softly to her. She shifted. "I promise I'll protect you and your Mum for as long as I can." He said softly. Max, as though she had heard him, rested her head on his chest. He kissed her forehead and just continued to lay there next to Moria holding their infant daughter.

Feeling peace at last.

* * *

"You do realize that just because I gave birth, doesn't mean I'm invalid and can't hold our daughter, right?" Moria asked as she and Sirius walked into the flat, Sirius holding Max. The infant made a cooing sound, nuzzling Sirius's shoulder and looked at him through partially opened eyes. He offered his wife a grin.

"I know that. I just want to hold her." He explained. She rolled her eyes but smiled as she watched Sirius shift Max in his hold, cupping the back of her little head. Max squirmed slightly but made no other movement. He looked at her with a wolfish grin and she raised a tiny fist towards him. He chuckled softly, kissing her brow. Moria observed him with a soft smile.

"See? I told you."

"Told me what?" Sirius asked looking at her.

"That you would be an excellent father." She informed. He stuck his tongue out and grinned as Max shifted, babbling softly. "See? Even she agrees." She remarked.

I guess that's a good thing." He murmured, staring at his daughter, who was content in watching him, almost in observance. Her eyes were already growing lighter, nowhere near the same shade of brown that Moria sported. He was partially disappointed, as he loved the color of Moria's eyes, but grey would work for him.

"Isn't your second cousin coming to visit soon?" Moria asked. "Nymphadora?"

Sirius blinked and then chuckled, nodding. "She wants to say hi to Max."

"She's Andromeda's daughter, right?" Moria questioned. Sirius looked at her.

"You really think A) Bellatrix has had a demon child, or B) Narcissa would let her brat…Draco, was it…near me?" he questioned and she blushed huffing.

"Well considering I have no idea how many people the Black family are related to, how should I know, Mr. From-The-Noble-and-Most-Ancient-House-of-Black?" She remarked dryly. He snorted and looked at Max.

"Mummy's being silly isn't she, Max?" He teased and Max squirmed. "That's a yes, by the way."

"Sure it is." Moria commented, rolling her eyes and he chuckled. "Anyway, I don't mind. I happened to actually like Andromeda..."

"Considering she was the only one of the three sisters that didn't try to shove you down a flight of stairs?" Sirius asked.

"Considering she married a muggle, I'm rather curious to meet their daughter." Moria continued as though she hadn't heard him. "Seeing as I'm married to the other white sheep of the Black family."

"I believe the saying is the 'black sheep of the family', Moria. Blimey, I wasn't even from a muggle family and I know that."

"Considering the Black family's heritage and personalities, you are a white sheep in my book. A wild one, mind you, but a white sheep nonetheless."

"So…I'm a sheep now?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"And somehow the conversation has slid into a sexual innuendo." Moria commented exasperated. "And in front of a newborn. How shameful of you, Sirius." She chastised, teasingly.

"Me? You're the one who used the analogy."

"And you're the one who twisted it."

Max made an exasperated whine, gaining her parents attention and Sirius grinned. "Sorry kiddo. Guess you don't like when we don't pay attention to you, do you?" Max squirmed again, suckling on her fingers and Sirius chuckled. Moria watched the pair and gave a soft smile, before walking to the kitchen to make lunch.

* * *

"Gloves?"

"Check."

"Goggles?"

"Check."

"Clothes pin?"

"Check."

"Tongs? Wait…tongs?"

"Yup and check."

"Why the bloody hell do you need tongs?" Moria asked as she looked over the scribbled note that Sirius had tacked over the changing table, before glancing at her husband, who was currently pulling a pair of rubber gloves on. He looked at her as though she had lost her mind.

"To hold the dirty nappy. Duh."

"Good grief, Sirius. It's a soiled nappy, not a ticking time bomb." She exclaimed, exasperated. He shrugged, pulling the goggles on. "Besides why don't you just use magic? Swish and flick." She asked.

"You've done the last few the muggle way, why can't I?"

"…why the hell do you want to change…?" She trailed off and then narrowed her eyes. "Remus and James dared you to do it without magic, didn't they?"

Sirius was silent and Moria offered a grin, before tutting.

"Alright, have it your way. Good luck." She remarked before exiting the small room they had made into the nursery, and leaving her husband with a fussing Max who was lying in her cot. Clipping the clothespin to his nose he walked over and hoisted the crying infant out and over to the changing table. Max stopped crying, though she made soft snuffling sounds, her tiny little fists waving around. She almost seemed to be looking at her father strangely, wondering what he was doing wearing the gloves, goggles, and why his nose was pinched closed. Then her little face scrunched up again, beginning to turn red with the warning of a full blown crying attack.

"Easy, easy." He remarked softly. She whimpered. "I'm just changing your nappy. No harm d-! SWEET MOTHER OF GOD!" He exclaimed as he finally managed to unclasp the nappy, revealing what now lay at the bottom. "WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN EATING?!"

Max seemed to take enjoyment out of this and giggled, gnawing on her fists as she watched her father look in horror.

"…Alright, I'm suggesting to your mother that you need to have something else to eat." Sirius grumbled as he gently pulled the soiled nappy away and, grabbing the tongs, lifted it and dropped it into the trash can nearby, gagging at the stench that managed to get through his pinched nostrils. He finished cleaning her and after a few fumbled tries, managed to clasp the side snaps closed. She cooed, kicking her tiny feet out, apparently happy at the change of nappies. He offered a slight smile, picking her up and settled her in the crook of his arm. She was satisfied now, and she looked up at him with those large, trusting eyes. His heart melted at this and he exited. Moria looked up.

"Wow. You did remarkably well." She teased.

"Why thank you I-! Hey…did you not believe in me? I'm hurt." He exclaimed, mockingly staggering backwards. Moria chuckled.

"Need I remind you what happened with James?" She asked. He thought back and chuckled at the memory.

"Touché." He agreed, bouncing Max a little. He then looked at her. "Now…what the heck do you feed her to make her poop so rancid?"

* * *

"Now Nymphadora-"

"Tonks. It's Tonks."

"…remember. This is a little baby, not a toy. She's only two weeks old." Andromeda continued as though she hadn't heard the little girl who was currently holding her hand with one of her own, while holding down her hat with the other as she and her 8 year old daughter walked up the stairs to the flat. "You can't be as rough on her as your dolls."

"Aw…does that mean I can't swing her around by the foot?" Tonks teased, earning a sharp glare from the brunette. The little girl offered an apologetic smile. "I was just kidding Mummy. I know, I know. Besides, I don't think Sirius will let me hold her."

That was true, Andromeda mused as she went to the door that Sirius had told her he and Moria were living in. Sirius apparently was rather protective of his newborn daughter, from what Moria had told her when she had called to schedule a visit.

Moria Prescott…an interesting woman. She remembered the girl from her days at Hogwarts. The girl at the beginning had rarely smiled, or when she did it had always been subdued. She had never imagined that that woman would have caught her cousin's eye. But in the three years that she had been in Hogwarts, she had watched that girl change and it seemed, become Sirius's equal. She still didn't know the full story on how the two had gotten together, but it hadn't really mattered to her. Whatever the case was, she was happy for Sirius. He had done what she had done years ago. Disobeyed their family and broken away from them…for the better. She knocked on the door and a few seconds later she heard someone walk up.

"Andromeda?"

"Yeah."

"What did Uncle Alphard tell us in his letter explaining what he had done in his will?"

"He told us to stick with our guts and bully to our families." Andromeda responded easily. The door opened a minute later and Sirius stood there, in his arms a small wiggling baby. Tonks made a slight gasping sound and went immediately on her tiptoes, trying desperately to see the infant. Andromeda sighed.

"You'll have to forgive her. She's been wanting to see your daughter ever since you owled us with the news."

"Nah, it's okay." Sirius replied with a dog-like grin. "Can't blame her. I mean look at this cutie." He informed, shifting the small bundle to show his cousin the small infant, who was blinking and looking at them curiously. Andromeda smiled.

"She looks like you."

"Joy to the world. Now I'll have to beat blokes off with sticks." He grumbled and Andromeda chuckled. Tonks continued to stare at the little girl, who was looking back just as calmly, as though the 8 year old was always over and she had seen her before.

"She's cute." Tonks finally declared, and Sirius observed the ends of her hair shortening and changing color at the same time. He gave Andromeda a look.

"She's a metamorphmagus." Andromeda explained.

"Ah. Well come in." He invited and the two females walked in, Tonks removing the cap that had been placed over her hair, revealing light blonde hair with pink highlights.

"Where's Moria?"

"Oh. She was dragged away by Lily. Apparently for some shopping."

"She must be excited."

"Thrilled." Sirius replied with a snort. "Anyway, it's just me and Max." He remarked lifting up the squirming infant. "So…here's my kid."

"What an eloquent introduction. Maxine, right?" Andromeda asked.

"It's Max!" Tonks corrected her mother with a huff, before looking at Sirius with a grin. "Right?"

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh and nodded. "That's what she's been called." He replied, sitting down in the living room chair and, angling Max to where it allowed Tonks to peer over his arm and stare at Max. The infant stared at her for several minutes before she started to whine a bit, looking for a familiar face. "Shh, it's okay sweety. Daddy's here..." Sirius murmured gently stroking his daughter's face. She looked at him and smiled, laughing at her father. He chuckled then turned her head over to look at Tonks. "See her?" he asked her, "This is Nymphadora Tonks, but you're going to have to call her Tonks." He informed. Tonks barely uttered a breath, fearful the little girl would be frightened by her. But she apparently had had nothing to worry about. Max giggled and stretched her tiny hands towards the older girl. Tonks's hair turned a bubblegum pink and she smiled brightly, looking at Andromeda. Sirius grinned.

"See? She likes you already." He commented with a grin and Tonks laughed happily, changing her hair color again and earning a slight squeal from Max.

* * *

It had been a few days since Tonks and Andromeda had visited Max, and currently Moria and Sirius were having a rare moment of peace when the door was knocked upon. Standing up from the couch, Moria went and opened the door greeted by James, Lily and Harry.

"Tii Momo!" Harry cheered waving his hands around. Moria grinned.

"Hello Harry." She cooed, ruffling his hair causing him to giggle.

"So where's Padfoot? He hasn't gone insane taking care of a baby has he?" James joked. Suddenly there was a something that sounding like gagging and then-

"Merlin's testicles what the bloody hell have you been eating?!" was heard and Moria sighed, rubbing her head.

"He's perfectly sane James…he's just teaching our daughter every colorful word he knows. Which he does every time he changes her nappies." Moria remarked as Sirius walked out, holding Max who looked around in confusion.

"Nappy change is complete." Sirius reported. "What did you feed her before this?"

"Milk, Sirius. And no I'm not changing her diet because her nappies stink." Moria infromed cutting him off before he even got the next question out. He glared at her but made no comment before looking over at the trio in the doorway and grinned.

"Hello you three." He said.

"Honestly Sirius, you need to stop using curse words around Max. It probably won't end well if her first words are some curse word." James chastised with a grin. Sirius glared.

"She's too young to learn yet." Sirius defended and Moria rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." James said. "So can we come in?" he asked and with that the family walked in. It had been at least four weeks since Max's birth. In comparison to Harry, Max wasn't a big crier. Granted when she did cry it sounded like she would shatter glass at how loud her crying was, but the amount of crying wasn't that much.

"So how many nights of full on sleep have you guys gotten?" James asked as Sirius, glancing at Moria, Lily, Harry, and Max; Harry looking at the infant girl that was in Moria's lap as he sat on Lily's lap.

"I think about 1 or 2." Sirius said. "But she's pretty lenient on letting us catch a few hours of sleep before she begins crying." He joked and James laughed.

"Boy she has you wrapped around her finger."

"I don't mind being wrapped." Sirius said watching as Max began to babble, looking around at her Mother and Godmother. He now had a new reason to keep on fighting Voldemort's army…not only to save and protect Harry, Lily, James and the wizarding world.

But now to protect his own little miracle and family.

* * *

"I can't believe you found one."

"It wasn't that hard." Lily stated an obvious smirk on her face. "Besides you found a baby blue onesie with a deer on it. Makes sense that I find one for you." Lily added as she watched Moria dress Max in a light pink onesie, changing from the original outfit Max had been wearing. On the chest was a black puppy. Max kicked her tiny feet obviously enjoying the new attention she was getting from Lily and Moria while Harry was staring at her.

"Why baby no talk?" he asked in broken English. Lily laughed.

"Because she's really little sweetheart. She's still learning." She told him and Harry looked at her again and then reached out his hand, patting Max's head.

"Baby soft." He concluded and Moria noticed Lily was close to tears at how adorable the scene was. An eyebrow rose and a smirk appeared.

"You and James should consider having another kid. Have a baby girl of your own." Moria stated and Lily's face flushed.

"Can we not discuss…you know…with two children in the room?" Lily hissed out. Moria laughed.

* * *

Sirius yawned waking up for some reason. Moria was next to him, completely out, apparently exhausted from the day's events. She didn't even move when he kissed her gently. Which led to a new question. Why did he wake up? He had work the next day and didn't really need to wake up in the middle of the night.

He heard a tiny whimper and then got up, walking over to the cot and glancing in. Max was wide awake and staring at him. She whimpered softly looking at him with glassy eyes, her threat incredibly clear. Not wanting to wake Moria up, he bent down and picked her up, supporting her head. She shook her little fists at him, scrunching her face.

"Easy…easy…sweetie." He hushed quickly moving out of the room. He knew that Moria breastfed Max…but he had been told that feeding a bottle wouldn't hurt her. He rocked her slightly as he warmed some of the milk, yawning. Max was looking at him fussing ever so often but he shushed her softly. After the milk had warmed he walked over to the sofa and sat down. Max immediately began to feed and he smiled tiredly.

"Well you've got my appetite." He stated and she looked at him staring at him with the same pools of grey that he had. He yawned again completely exhausted. Minutes later she had finished eating but was apparently not ready to sleep. He sighed and then placed her lying stomach down onto his chest.

"Come on love, you need to get some sleep." He told her but she wiggled again making no attempt to relax. He began to hum softly, hoping to relax her. To him, his voice sounded rough and gravely compared to what he would listen to when he was half asleep and Moria would be humming to Max a lullaby in the middle of the night. However it seemed to work as he felt Max's body begin to relax, the combination of a full stomach, his humming, his body heat, and heartbeat lulling her to sleep. It had the same effect for Sirius as well as he felt his eyes droop and slowly he fell asleep as well.

* * *

Moria shifted in her sleep, slowly waking up. There was something off. It took her a few seconds to realize what it was. Sirius's snoring wasn't heard nor was any sounds of Max coming from the cot. She slid slightly and felt that Sirius's side of the bed was empty. Cold. She turned and saw that no one was there. She sat up, getting out of bed quietly covering her mouth to yawn. She noted that the cot was also empty. Before she could wonder what he was doing, she turned around the corner and stopped, startled before smiling sweetly at the scene in front of her.

Both Sirius and Max were dead asleep in the armchair. Max was nestled against her father's chest, one tiny hand gripping his shirt, covered by her little pink blanket. Sirius's head was leaned slightly forward, one arm pressed against Max's back to insure she stayed there. The other was draped over the side, holding a bottle of baby formula; the apparent reason that the pair was now resting in the living room.

Moria smiled staring at the scene. Quietly she returned to her room and retrieved a camera. No way was she going to miss capturing that moment. She returned and very quietly and quickly took a photo. As she suspected neither woke up apparently too worn out to wake up to the noise of the camera. She then quietly placed the camera down and then went over to Sirius. As asleep as he was, he would be in pain the next day if he slept like that all night.

"Sirius…" she murmured out softly and he awoke with a slight start and blinked at her sleepily, confused and dazed, to which she offered a soft smile. "Love, you're going to hurt your neck like that if you keep sleeping here." She added and he stretched, clutching Max tightly. Max remained asleep on his chest.

"Okay…" he mumbled tiredly, slowly standing up as to not wake Max. He kissed Moria sleepily before heading back to bedroom. She followed and watched as he gently placed Max back into her cot before tiredly returning to the bed, flopping onto it. She came over to him and laid down next to him. She kneaded his hair softly causing his body to relax further before he fell into the depths of sleep. She smiled to herself.

These days…life was so, simplistic. Quiet. And in all honesty that idea of life wasn't a bad idea in her mind. She just hoped that such a quiet life would stay.

* * *

Sirius slowly woke up, blinking sleepily, and nearly blinding himself at the sunlight that had poured in. Why was it so bright? It took him a few moments to realize that he had slept through his alarm. He sat up quickly. He was so screwed-!

"Relax Sirius. I called the Ministry and they gave you a sick day." A voice interjected. He looked up and saw Moria staring at him almost in amusement, Max resting in her arms.

"Wha-?" He asked, his mind still waking up. Moria sat down next to him.

"They gave you a day off. I flooed them a few hours ago…they're pretty understanding about the fact that you're a new dad. Well the person I talked to at least was. I think the majority of them know full well what a dad of a four week old baby has to go through at night. Apparently James had the same issues with Harry too." Moria stated with a shrug. "I don't think they want an Auror to be tired and miss a clue or you know, get hexed." She said. He grinned slightly kissing her cheek.

"I have a bloody awesome wife." He commented and she laughed wrapping her arms around his neck, grinning at him.

"Thank you for noticing." She commented, hearing him laugh before he drew her into a deep kiss. At that moment the whole world vanished.

She simply enjoyed being with the man she loved.


	26. PARENTS DURING A WAR

"Why do I have to go and drop off James's lunch for you?" Moria asked as she observed the bagged lunch that was on the table. Max squirmed in her arms as Lily glanced up at her with a smirk.

"Because Harry isn't feeling all too well, so I need to stay here with him." She replied easily. "Besides, won't it be a nice surprise for Sirius to see his two favorite ladies there?" She asked with a teasing smile. Moria observed her and then groaned.

"This is payback for when you came to visit me and my coworkers swarmed you to fawn over Harry, isn't it?"

"Maybe…" Lily said, holding the word a little bit for emphasis, but smiled nonetheless, holding the bag out for Moria. "But in all seriousness, going out would probably be good for you and Max."

Moria stared at her for a brief moment, before groaning and snatched the bag, giving her a heated glare. "You owe me."

"Love you too."

* * *

"Oh, my look at her!"

"She's so cute! And tiny!"

Moria withheld a groan as she forced a smile on her face as the female aurors swarmed her within minutes of her entering the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Apparently even aurors couldn't resist a baby. Max snuffled, asleep in the sling her mother used to carry her around, pressed to Moria's chest. The women cooed at the sleeping infant, only stopping briefly when Wulfric and another man, one Moria didn't recognize walked up, amused.

"Hey, Wulfric…and…"

"Astrix, ma'am." The other man remarked, tipping his head slightly in a polite greeting. "Mathilde's husband."

Moria was confused for a second then understood. Mathilde. Her maternal aunt.

"Ah." She remarked simply and Astrix smiled, glancing at Max.

"Seems like she's enjoying herself." He offered with a grin and Moria finally laughed as a few other girls looked at Max, aweing at the child. "So what are you here for?"

"Just dropping off James's lunch." Moria remarked dryly. "Lily put me up to it."

Wulfric snorted. Nearby Moody watched the scene and rolled his eye, his magical one going crazy. Moria seemed uncomfortable with all the attention that she and her daughter were receiving from the women of the auror department. He couldn't blame her. Everyone's guard was down. It almost made him want to yell out '_Constant Vigilance!'_ right then. And he was about to.

Her expression changed.

She had been smiling previously, though forced. But now, that smile had slid off completely, and a look of unease had settled on there, and she seemed to be now observing beyond the crowd of workers, as though trying to get a lock on something…or someone. He glanced around, scanning the people sitting around, looking over files, talking amongst each other. Everything seemed to be perfectly fine. Then his gaze landed on a young man, a trainee auror. Moria's had as well, though she was just glancing at him through her peripherals, bouncing Max who had suddenly grown fussy. But Moody didn't care about the infant's mood at the moment.

Marcus Darcy seemed to be nervous, shaking his leg rapidly. Then it seemed time had slowed. He stood up abruptly, and turned. Pulling his wand out and taking aim. Then time sped back up. Moody stood, pulling out his wand and made some sort of yell as Darcy uttered the Cruciatus Curse, aimed at Moria. The young mother yelped and shoved her uncle and uncle-in-law out of the way, moving backwards. Moody saw in the corner of his eye, the curse slice cleanly past Moria, missing her by inches, however he was unsure about the fate of the infant.

Spells were flying everywhere; the security alerts erupting as finally the other aurors turned, each one yelling out a spell towards the apparent kamikaze Deatheater. Then as though they had apparated in other Deatheaters seemed to appear and turned, taking aim at the aurors. One aimed at a young woman who had been hit by a stunning hex an evil glint in his eyes.

"Avada-"

Before Moody even turned, the Deatheater was silenced as a paper organizer flew and slammed into his face. Moria looked angry and wild, clutching Max to her as she pulled her wand out, aiming it at the Deatheater that was clutching his broken nose. He yelled a profanity and aimed at Moria.

"LACERO!"

Blood sprayed off of Moria's face and she yelped loudly, stumbling backwards, but kept her wand positioned, and before the Deatheater could do anything, was stunned.

"_Lily, you owe me fucking BIG!"_ She thought angrily. Then there were more yells and she turned to see that the Deatheaters were being rounded up. She exhaled loudly and then just slid to the ground, shaking violently, looking at her daughter, unaware of the blood sliding down her face. Max was now wailing loudly. But she was wailing...and that meant breathing.

"MORIA!"

She looked up and spotted two familiar men rushing up to her.

James and Sirius.

James looked stunned, unsure with what had happened and was glancing around a little to see if there had been any casualties, which thankfully there hadn't. Sirius, however was pale, a sickly green tint lining his face as he all but slid to her.

"Moria?! Moria, are you alright?! What are you-"

"Bringing lunch." She murmured, gesturing to the ruined bag above her, as Sirius pulled out his wand, and after a swish, felt the feeling of the sliced cheek mending. "I'm fine." She added. "So is Max."

He apparently hadn't seen Max, but as he looked down, and tuned into the loud, frustrated crying, she watched as his shoulders slumped, his eyes widening in panic.

"Max…" He whispered.

"Sirius, she's alright." Moria reiterated, searching his eyes for him to understand that. He looked at her and then brushed Max's cheek. Max's wailing instantly began to settle, though she still whimpered.

"Was close though." Moody grumbled as he walked over. "Nearly got hit by the Cruciatus Curse."

Moria offered a glare at Moody, almost as though to try and silence him, but the damage had already been done. Sirius looked up and then at Moria, opening and closing his mouth several times to try and say something. Moria looked at him tiredly, before he helped her up, though it seemed more like hoisting her into standing.

"Let's go."

"Black, we have to go through the procedures, technicalities, and-"

Sirius turned around, anger now evident on his face, which seemed to silence Moody, as Sirius pressed Moria to his chest. Though normally she would groan and tell him to settle down, it seemed that right then, she couldn't get her throat to work, and instead just decided to play the one thing she normally hated; a damsel.

"I don't give a bloody damn about procedures right now." Sirius growled out, looking at Moody angrily. "I don't give a rat's arse about the technicalities, but what I do care a great deal about is the fact that one of the Unforgivable Curses almost hit my baby daughter in the face."

"Black-"

"I'll do Sirius's paperwork." James volunteered. "Come on Moody, let them go."

Moody looked at Sirius, before his gaze shifted over to Moria and the top of the small head that was barely visible from Sirius's arm. He then grumbled.

"Fine. Take your brood and leave."

Sirius didn't offer a thanks, instead he pulled Moria close and with that tromped out of the ruins of the Auror department.

* * *

Sirius listened to the soft sounds of the shower as he lay on the bed, rubbing Max's back, as the four week old slept on his chest. She was never going to take long, she never had been. There was always something else that took priority – making dinner, feeding the baby, putting the baby to bed, tidying up...nothing that he couldn't do himself. But Moria always seemed to have a handle on it, and never indulged herself, which was why he would do that himself today, if only to satisfy his own uneasy mind and anxiousness.

When she stepped back into the bedroom after her shower, which had lasted a total of ten minutes, she was towel drying her hair. He offered a slight smile as he observed her, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. She looked cleaner and slightly less jittery than when he'd all but forced her into the bathroom. She was wearing one of his shirts and a pair of her own pajama pants, something that made her look ridiculously tiny for someone who had given birth nearly four weeks ago. Still, she seemed tense, as though someone was going to jump her the next second, but as soon as she spotted her baby daughter, sleeping peacefully in his arms, she relaxed and her shoulders drooped.

He didn't make a big deal about it. She had every right to be worried after the day they'd had, even though they both knew that he would rather die than let any harm come to their little Max. He knew that this feeling wasn't going to disappear any time soon. All the times they'd had to fear for their own lives seemed little in comparison to seeing the life of your child threatened.

"Hi," he whispered as she approached the bedside and she sat down on her side of the bed.

"Hey…Is Max sleeping?" she said quietly.

He nodded. "Yeah, fell asleep about five minutes ago."

"Is she ok?" she asked, almost as though she was trying to find any injury on their daughter.

He nodded. "She's perfect, as always."

She leaned close to Sirius, looking down at her daughter. She always looked so comfortable in her father's arms, sprawled out against his chest as if she had set up a base camp on his shirt. She ran her fingers delicately over the dusting of hair, already destined to be as thick and bushy as her own, and sighed. They were home. They were together. They were safe.

"Moria?"

His voice broke her away from her thoughts and she jumped a little at the sound even though his voice was barely more than a whisper. Immediately he reached out, placing one hand over her arm. She lifted her eyes away from her daughter's head and looking instead at him.

"Sorry." she mumbled.

Sorry? Moria rarely apologized. She certainly didn't apologies multiple times in one day, especially not for circumstances that were out of her control and definitely not her fault. He frowned, stroking his thumb over her wrist. "You okay?" he asked. She didn't answer, and he realized immediately it was a stupid question. He shifted. "Come here."

"I don't want to wake Max," she whispered.

"Moria, you're shaking. Come on." he tempted.

She stayed hovering where she was for a moment before she gave in. She laid down and scooted over to him, pressed against his side, his arm falling naturally around her shoulder, stopping at her waist, the other holding their daughter protectively. Attempting to relax, she put her head on his shoulder. In this position, Max's breath was falling straight onto her neck in a calming lull and she found her eyes closing. She was exhausted but couldn't sleep yet, not until her mind stopped replaying what had happened earlier that day. But the images didn't leave her; they played over and over again with a sinking feeling in her stomach. If a single thing had gone differently today, she or her daughter may not be there in that moment. It hadn't hit her until they had arrived home, until Sirius had pulled her back into a hug, his breathing rapid and he refused to speak for a good few minutes that it slammed into her, how close one of them might have not come home.

Sirius had been silent for the most part since then, unable to voice his thought how it wouldn't have been just Max that would have been hurt. Moria refused to not wear the sling whenever she held Max, so she knew where Max was when her back was turned. Had Moria not been aware…had she not moved away in that instant…the way Moria had been holding Max when the curse had missed them, they would have both suffered. He closed his eyes at the thought, the image of him and James racing in and seeing Moria sliding to the ground, a look of shock on her blood covered face, hearing Max's cries. It had been heart-stopping. He had nearly lost his family…again.

At that moment, Max stirred. Her face turned into Sirius's chest, balling up his shirt in her tiny fists. "Muuuuh," she mumbled tiredly. Sirius brushed his hand over her scalp, shushing her quietly and smiled when she settled instantly, going back to sleep.

"And you doubted being a wonderful father." Moria informed him. He snorted.

"Well she's here to make me eat my words." he teased.

"That she is." she pointed out.

They fell into another silence, the momentary distraction that Max had provided them falling into the stillness of the room. Sirius tried to focus on the breathing of his wife, the deep even breaths that showed she was still alive, and the similar, smaller and faster ones from his daughter. He had them both in his arms, exactly where they should be, and by some small miracle they were both relatively unharmed. Shaken was fine, they could fix shaken. They couldn't fix dead.

"I was really scared today." Sirius whispered, gliding his hand over Moria's arm, gaining goosebumps. "When I got that alert, and then I saw you and Max were there I..." he sighed, the memories of what had happened nine months earlier. "I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you again." He admitted. "I-if you or Max had been hurt or worse..."

"We weren't." she reminded him.

He tightened his hold, but it wasn't uncomfortable. "You and Max are my life," he breathed. "I can't lose you."

Moria placed a kiss to his shoulder. "You won't," she whispered. "I promise."

Sighing, he settled his head against hers. "I love you, Moria. So much."

"I love you too, Sirius." She murmured softly. They stayed like that for a little while longer, in silence. They were alive.

That was all they needed.

* * *

Sirius glanced at Max as the little infant cooed, gnawing on her hand. It had been nearly a day since the attack in the Ministry, and Sirius had taken the day off. Moria was taking a nap, leaving him to take care of Max. Not that he minded. Sirius grinned softly as he brushed his hand over her head. Max cooed again, squirming.

He couldn't resist.

He morphed into his animagus form, his tail wagging slightly. Max stopped squirming, and observed her father in curiosity, gnawing on her hand. He sniffed her and she squealed, squirming, removing her drool covered hand and placing it on his snout. He snorted slightly, and she giggled. He sniffed her, his breath causing the fringe of her hair fluttering slightly. She squirmed, kicking her feet out.

He licked her forehead and she squealed again, reaching up and grabbing a handful of fur, giving it a tug. He flinched but didn't move away as Max continued to babble. He only yelped when her tiny hands finally managed to get to his ears and gave a very sharp tug. She giggled, but relented in releasing his ears. She began to gnaw on her hand again. He continued observing her.

This was his little girl. His baby. So innocent to the distrust and hatred that was prevalent of those times. Hopefully, he prayed, she would never have to remember the world as it was. Finally he settled and laid down right behind Max, allowing the infant to rest on him. She seemed fine with that and she settled, cooing softly. Finally, he had found a way to get the kid to settle. Granted, he doubted that would work as she got older, but it worked right then. She snuggled into his fur and he felt her relax against him. Peering over he saw that she had fallen asleep. He relaxed as well. Yeah…he could get used to this. And this was how Moria found them when she emerged from the bedroom. He had fallen asleep, and nestled against his stomach was their little girl, curled up to the fur. She offered a soft smile and left them there.

* * *

"Sirius, where's Max?" Moria asked coming out of the bedroom, pushing her hair off of her shoulders. It had been a week after, now late in September. She looked at her husband quizzically.

"With James and Lily. They wanted to spoil their goddaughter a little." Sirius stated with a playful smile. Moria looked at him an eyebrow raised.

"Why do I feel like you have ulterior motives Sirius Orion Black?" Moria asked crossing her arms as Sirius got up and pulled her to him, grinning.

"Ulterior motives? Mrs. Black, whatever do you mean? They did really want to spend time with their goddaughter." He stated, pushing a strand of hair from her face.

"But?" she asked a smile on her face closing her eyes kissed right next to her mouth, barely touching her mouth. He slowly kissed her, causing heat to slide through her body. She made a soft gasping sound when he slid down, grazing his teeth on the side of her neck.

"But…since you got a clean bill of health from the postnatal checkup." He said, pulling her sleeve down playing with the strap of her bra under the top. "I might have other plans with you."

"You are such a randy dog." She murmured but made no attempt to stop him as he slid his hand under her shirt.

"Ah, but you love me so." He stated, kissing her chin. She smiled wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You would be right." She said and with that he picked her up by the waist and promptly carried to the bedroom, closing the door.

"I've been thinking about you." He murmured against her mouth, causing a slight groan to come from her.

"Have you? My, I should be flattered." She teased under her breath.

"Why are you wearing a skirt?"

"It's laundry day, Mr. Black." She breathed. "So all my trousers are in the wash. Why are you complaining? Easy access for you."

He chuckled, though it was low and forced as he cupped the back of her neck, pulling her to him.

"To whom it may concern, denim skirts are now the standard dress code."

"You randy git." She teased with a chuckle. "You're only going to get this damn skirt when it's laundry day. Besides, I doubt this one would fit you." She teased.

"Still think I could wear it better."

"Ouch. That hurt my feelings Mr. Black." She remarked, trying to sound hurt, but ultimately failing to keep the smile off of her face. "I think you're going to have to make an apology."

"Well I guess I'll have to think of something."

* * *

"Well at least that dynamic hasn't changed." Moria panted as she rolled over to rest her head next to Sirius's shoulder. It was late in the afternoon now. Sirius glanced up from where his head had been previously buried into his pillow.

"What hasn't?"

"Us shagging. Some of the older women at Mungo's told Chelsea and I that once we had a child that having sex is different."

"Oh please, those old hags probably haven't shagged in years." Sirius stated. "Can you imagine them doing that with their old husbands?"

"I don't really want to imagine that Sirius." Moria groaned covering her face. "I honestly REALLY don't want to think about them doing THAT." She stated. He laughed, rolling over and kissing her.

"Merlin…I love you." He murmured against her mouth. She smiled gently.

"I love you too." She replied softly and he grinned, pulling her closer kissing her again, deepening it. She knew full well where this was headed and couldn't think of anything better.

* * *

"So let me get this straight…Harry poked Max, who then threw her binky at him, and they both started bawling?" Moria asked as she patted Max's back later that day. Lily rolled her eyes.

"That's the gist of it." She said. James grimaced.

"Merlin, your daughter can yell, Padfoot. Scared our cat half to death and made Harry cry louder to try and beat her in the screaming competition. My ears are still ringing." James commented and Sirius laughed.

"Yes, she has a mighty pair of lungs." Sirius stated through his laugh. "Sorry about that."

"We kind of figured she would be like that. Having you as a dad. Just shocked at how _loud_ she was." James said. "But other than that little episode, she was an absolute angel." He stated looking at the little infant. Moria smiled softly.

"Thanks for watching her." Moria stated. Lily grinned happily.

"We enjoyed it. Even though we had that little episode, Harry had fun watching her too." Lil said ruffling her son's hair as he peered slightly from her shoulder, embarrassed that his Mummy and Daddy had told them the story of him crying. Moria smiled at the boy patting his head.

"Don't worry Harry; we won't breathe a word to anyone else." Moria promised and Harry looked thankful. Lily and James forced themselves not to laugh at their son's embarrassment.

"Well we better head back home." James said. Max at this time was resting in Moria's arms and looking at Lily and James curiously. The couple smiled at the little girl before leaving. Moria glanced at Max and then at Sirius.

"Well…she takes after you for causing trouble." She stated with a laugh and he grinned.

"Not going to argue with that."

* * *

"Sirius, a group of Deatheaters isn't going to jump me and Max while you go to the bloody loo." Moria complained as she watched him shift in his stance as they came out of the Leaky Cauldron. "Just go to the loo."

"But-"

"Sirius Orion Black, I swear to God, you've been bouncing like a kid going to the candy shop ever since we went to the underground. Go to the damn bathroom, before I hex you to the point you pee in your trousers. Max and I will be right here." She informed. "I promise."

He frowned, almost as though he was going to argue. But another cramping sensation and the sound of running water made him think otherwise and with a nod left. Moria sighed glancing down at the infant that was looking up quizzically at her from the baby sling. "I know. Your father is an absolute loon. He thinks that just because one time…okay multiple times…I get hurt, that that automatically means I can't take care of myself or you on an outing." She complained as she leaned against the wall. "Honestly, your father must think I am a useless-"

"You."

The voice caused her to jump slightly and look up, locking eyes with the same grey that her daughter now had. She had met those eyes several times in the past two years…but this time there was no longer a mad edge to them, no longer a wild. They were perfectly sane, and perfectly outraged.

"_Just my luck, the moment I manage to convince Sirius that I'm fine by myself, crazy mother-in-law comes along."_ Moria thought dryly as she gripped Max protectively. The sneer grew as Walburga Black stared angrily at her. Then Max took that moment to make a loud squeal, which startled the older woman.

And quickly her face turned red. Angry.

She strode forward; her hand reaching out almost to yank the sling open to reveal what she already knew was there. However, a form swiftly moved in at the same moment Moria wrapped her arms protectively around Max, almost shielding her.

"Mother." Sirius remarked dryly, no emotion in his voice. "What an unpleasant surprise."

"What is…THAT…?!" She hissed out, not even bothering with the fake pleasantries. Sirius looked at her, almost amused.

"That would be a baby, Mother. You know, nappies, naptimes, crying…all that stuff."

"Is…_it_…yours?"

"For one, _it_ is a _she_, Mother." Sirius warned. "Two, yes. Yes she is. My _wife_ and I made a kid, Mother. Though you don't seem pleased, but since I didn't ask for your opinion, it doesn't really matter, does it?"

Her eyes were blazing, her face a dead, constricted mask of comprehension, horror, and loathing. "You married? To a mud-"

"And once again you go to using that word. One, Moria is a half-blood. Two, I wouldn't give a damn if she was a muggleborn witch." Sirius growled out.

"I forbid this!"

"Funny, when you disowned me, you kind of lost your right to decide who I married…like I would have listened to you anyway." Sirius informed. "But it seems time has been cut short, and I'll end this conversation now. So goodbye, Mother." He coolly answered and turned around, gripping Moria by the forearm. Moria glanced back at Walburga.

"YOU WILL DIE, SIRIUS!" She screeched and Moria saw Sirius still, staring ahead of him and down the corridor. Several witches and wizards stopped, but upon spotting who was yelling, kept walking. "YOU! THAT HALFBREED! THAT LITTLE RUNT YOU CALL A CHILD!"

"DON'T YOU _DARE_ INSULT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BLOODY BANSHEE!" Sirius finally snapped turning around.

"Sirius!" Moria hissed out, grabbing his arm to stop him. Max began to whimper and it seemed that both of those two pleads stopped him.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT! CREATING A FILTHY FAMILY OF NON-PUREBLOOD TO STROLL ABOUT THIS PLACE AS IF THEY— "

"Don't you call MY family that!" Sirius snarled. "Whether you approve or not-"

"I WILL NEVER APPROVE, YOU ARROGANT STAIN OF DISHONOR, FILTHY BLOOD TRAITOR!"

"I'd rather be a blood traitor than be you." Sirius growled out and with that the trio walked away. Moria looked up at Sirius as they continued to walk. They missed the store that they had been planning to go in, but he needed to walk it off. Instead she just held his hand as they continued to walk back and forth down the street, until finally the tension in his shoulders drooped and his hard breathing relaxed.

"Better?" Moria asked softly as they passed Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour for an eighth time. He sighed and finally relaxed, though he didn't nod. "Thank you…for defending me and Max's honor."

"It's part of my job isn't it?" He asked a slight smile crossing his lips. She was still for a second before walking over to him and grabbed a handful of his shirt, pulling her to him, and claimed his mouth with hers. He was quick to accept and return and after a minute or so moved away, his face still cupped by her hands. She offered a soft smile.

"And you've done an excellent job." She murmured with a smile on her face. "Come on…lets go get some ice-cream. I'm paying."

"Didn't I say I was paying when we got here?"

"Call it a token for the knight-in-shining armor moment." She answered, running a hand over Max's head. "From the both of us."

He looked at them and then grinned and allowed himself to be led inside the store, the memory of his mother swiftly forgotten.


	27. A DAY AT THE ZOO

"Daddy…"

Remus stirred but didn't awaken, instead nestled himself further into his blankets. He was exhausted, his job was stressful and then he had to be a dad the moment he got home. Though he didn't regret anything, still it became extremely exhausting.

"**DADDY!**"

Remus finally awoke with a start, blinking wearily before looking over to the edge of the bed, locking eyes with the pair of dark blue eyes that belonged to a messy blonde haired boy.

"What is it Geoffrey?" He asked sitting up in his bed. It was then he noted that the little boy's bottom lip was quivering, and he looked as though he was in near tears. "What's wrong?" He asked a bit more sharply than he had intended, now a bit more aware of his surroundings. He didn't _sense_ anyone…but it didn't mean that there wasn't a danger.

"Mummy's screaming."

Remus looked at Geoffrey in surprise, watching as a boy passed his hand over his eyes, trying to push back the tears. His eyebrows then furrowed.

"Geoffrey…" Remus trailed off before he steadied him under the armpits and lifted him up easily. Geoffrey immediately cinched him around the neck, sniffling. "It was just a nightmare. Mummy…Mummy isn't screaming any more. I promise." He whispered. Geoffrey nodded, but it didn't ease his shaking.

"Then where is she?"

Remus sighed, pushing the loose strands of hair back. He knew that those questions were inevitable...but Merlin, he had hoped for a little more time. "Geoffrey…your mother is in…heaven. An evil man went after her...and she…" Remus's voice caught on the last word and he had to clear his throat to push down the lump. "Your Mum sacrificed her life so you could live and be the happy, wonderful boy you are. It's the best gift she could give to you. She was scared for you, Geoffrey, but she isn't scared anymore. She's not hurting anymore."

The little boy was quiet then as he looked away from Remus and closed his eyes against his guardian's sweater. "She's in heaven?" He whispered quietly. "Do you think she's sad because I couldn't come too?"

Remus felt tears come to his eyes then, and he let them go, knowing it was better than holding the emotions deep inside. "No, Cub, no." He breathed out shakily. "She's happy you're here, that you're okay. She wants you to be happy, that's why she did what she did. She loves you, Geoffrey. She loves you enough to give you a chance at a happy life."

Geoffrey was quiet then for a moment before opening his eyes and peering up at Remus again. "Do you love me, Remus?"

"Oh, Cub." Remus whispered, a smile spreading over his face as he smoothed his hand over the boy's hair and kissed the top of his head. "More than you'll ever know."

"…Can I stay here tonight?" Geoffrey asked softly. Remus offered a light chuckle and then nodded.

"Sure, Geoffrey."

* * *

"You packed enough diapers right?"

"We're going to the _**ZOO**_, Moria. Not going across the country." Sirius teased as he tickled Max's chin, earning a giggle. "I think we have enough diapers."

"Right…" Moria responded, though she seemed to not to believe him. "Anyway, I hope you all have fun. Especially Harry and Neville…since they haven't really gone out a lot."

"I bet." Sirius replied, before kissing Moria, who returned it. "We'll be back later today. Love you."

"Love you too." She replied. "And try not to get into too much trouble."

"Hey have some faith in me."

"This is you. I have more faith in that you'll cause trouble than you won't."

* * *

"I swear my wife has so little faith in me when it comes to staying out of trouble." Sirius complained as he, Remus, James, and Frank walked around the zoo, avoiding a group of children that raced around them.

"Lil said the same thing to me." James huffed. "Honestly."

"It's you two. If school was any hint of you two making trouble…" Remus teased, keeping a grip on Geoffrey's hand as the little boy looked around interested in all the noise, sights, and especially the smells. A rather interesting variety of smells, the three year old realized. Perfume, burnt grease, food, all mingled together with animal poop. He scrunched his nose slightly. How his dad was handling this, he didn't know. He gripped Remus's hand tighter, moving closer. There were a lot of people here…and he was still getting used to crowds.

"Ow! Max, Max sweetheart, let go of my hair." Sirius suddenly remarked and the three men and three boys turned to see that Max had managed to grab a handful of Sirius's hair, tugging on it innocently. "Owowowowowow."

"How cute." James teased with a grin. "She's a quick learner."

"She grabs randomly…not sure if that counts as being a quick learner." Sirius remarked as he finally managed to shake off her grip. Max giggled, and continued to observe what was around her.

"Never thought I would see you wearing a baby sling." Remus remarked earning a glare from Sirius, who then shrugged.

"Well unlike you three, my kid still can't even sit up properly. So carrying her on my shoulders is a big no…unless you want to explain that to Moria." He replied.

"No thanks, I'd rather keep my testicles, thank you." James replied dryly. "Moria is a protective Mum."

Sirius couldn't argue with James on that. Nor could he blame her. He was just as protective over Max as Moria was, though sometimes Moria could argue he was worse. He couldn't help it. Max was their little miracle. They continued looking around until it became apparent that lunch was on three of the four kids' minds as Harry began to stare longingly at a food stand, as did Neville, and Geoffrey's stomach began to rumble.

"Uh oh…it's the hunger look." Sirius remarked, bouncing Max a little. The little girl cooed and giggled loudly, gripping her father's index finger tightly. "Guess it is time for a little break, don't you think?"

"Probably." James chuckled as Harry glanced at him almost begging him for food. "Alright, alright Prongslet." He teased, letting Harry down. The younger boy toddled around before going over to Sirius, gripping his pant leg.

"You look after all of them while we get food?" Frank asked. Sirius smirked.

"Sure." And watched the three adults depart. The boys glanced at their father's before following Sirius and Max as the older man sat down at a table. Max rested against her father's chest, squirming around as she looked around with large grey eyes, almost gleeful with all the sights and sounds. Sirius smiled at her softly, kissing her temple as she squealed loudly, before gnawing on her fist. She apparently was managing to keep all three boys' attention spans on her as she squirmed around, greedily sucking on the bottle Sirius managed to hand her, he continued to hold it as she ate.

"I thought we said for you to watch them." James teased and Sirius looked up. "Max here took your job."

"She made it easier." Sirius argued with a grin. "Not my fault that your boy is interested. I'm hoping I don't have to threaten him when he gets older." He teased.

James chuckled and hoisted Harry onto his lap.

"I still can't believe it."

"Believe what?" Sirius asked, looking up from where he had been looking at Max who was currently lying on the rest of the bench, waving her arms around as Sirius kept her wedged between his legs where she was and eating his own meal.

"That we're parents."

"You can't believe? Hey, we all figured you were destined to have a kid." Sirius remarked. "Me on the other hand..."

"Oh come off it. You knew you would be an excellent dad." James replied with an easy tone as Harry munched on a chip.

"Considering how much of a skirt chaser I was when I was younger…"

"Until you started dating Moria. Hook. Line. And sinker."

"Har. Har." Sirius replied. Frank smiled at the banter and then noticed that Geoffrey had apparently found something in the ground nearby a tree. And apparently he was keen on showing Max what it was.

"Remus. Sirius." Frank called out, pointing at where Max was. "Geoffrey's trying to feed Max a worm." The two fathers looked down to see that Geoffrey was holding a squirming worm in his dirt covered hand over Max's head. Max was squirming as well, her small hands rising to try and grab the earthworm.

"Geoffrey!" Remus exclaimed. The three year old jerked away, moving the worm away from Max, who looked confused, Sirius was trying not to laugh as Max whined. "Put the worm down."

Geoffrey looked at his guardian in disbelief and then at the frantic worm that was trying to free itself. Then he gave a dejected sigh and tossed the worm over his shoulder. The four men watched in slow motion as the squirming worm flew through the air and landed on a woman's head, who was just a few feet below them, sitting at a different picnic table just below them on the hill. At first the woman was confused and placed a wary hand on top of her skull, pulling the worm off and staring at it.

She then screamed loudly, scrambling up and began to bat at her body as though to try and free herself of any unseen forces.

"So…lunch's over, I presume?" James asked as he picked up Harry, the latter of the two was giggling at the woman's rather strange behavior in his opinion.

"Yup." Was the simultaneous answer from the rest, as the other three men snatched up their kids and within a few seconds bolted away from the screaming woman.

* * *

"Why couldn't I have gone along?!"

"Peter, why are you making such a big deal about this?" Moria asked as she turned around, facing the rotund man who was glaring at the ground angrily, holding a cup of coffee in her hands. "It wasn't a guy's night out…more like a dad's day out with the kids. Besides, you were visiting your mother, and we know how she gets when you cancel last minute."

"Seems to me that the whole trip was planned-"

"About two days ago, because James was getting restless being cooped indoors and Lily was about to murder him." Moria replied. "By that time you were at her house. You really think that you would have had fun hanging out with four men with kids under the age of five at a zoo?" She asked in confusion. Peter looked embarrassed and coughed uncomfortably. She looked at him concerned.

"Peter…is everything alright?"

"Fine. Everything's fine." He replied shortly. Moria frowned looking at Peter.

"Look, I don't think James, Remus, and Sirius deliberately meant to keep you out of this. Nor did Frank. They probably figured it would bore you to go along and the four of them would be paying more attention to the kids than anything else." She explained, walking over to him. She couldn't mistake the dark look of jealousy in his eyes. Her frown deepened.

"Just because they didn't include you this doesn't mean they won't include in other things, Peter. You realize that right?"

"Yeah." Peter replied shortly. "Yeah…Look I better go."

"Peter-"

He didn't let her talk further; instead he turned around and walked quickly out of the flat, slamming the door shut. Moria sighed and leaned against the door jam.

Merlin, that bloke needed to get a girlfriend.

Outside Peter raged as he continued down the street. His friends were _abandoning_ him. For women and lives that they had JOKED about when they were kids. They had everything and he had nothing. Something inside him began to crack…whether it was his sanity or waning loyalty…he didn't know.

But something was going to have to give eventually.

* * *

"Maybe you put it on the counter."

"I already checked there."

"Well maybe-"

"What are you two doing?" Moria asked as she and Lily came into the room and spotted both their husbands crawling on the living room floor. It had been a few days since the zoo incident and the couple was enjoying some relaxation...or at least some of them were. Sirius groaned and glared at James.

"Prongs over here lost his wand." Sirius said.

"Oh shut it, Padfoot." James said as he peered under the sofa. Moria looked up when she heard Max babbling in baby talk and smirked, nudging Lily. Lily glanced at where Moria was staring and chuckled.

"I think we found it." Moria said.

"Where?"

"Oh probably a place that you two have passed by a few times." Moria said, pointing. The two grown men looked over to see that James's wand was now in the hands of Max who was using it as a chew toy. She looked up innocently at her godfather and father and giggled loudly, but kept a firm grip on the wand.

"Max…sweetheart can you give me that?" James asked as he managed to pry the wand from Max. She honestly looked shocked for a few seconds, as though she couldn't understand why he had done that. Then her face began to scrunch up.

"Uh oh." Sirius said. Seconds later Max began crying, waving her tiny fists in anger.

"Way to go James." Moria said flinching as the crying became high-pitched and Max's face became a deep shade of red.

"Well I'm sorry! That was just my wand she was drooling on" James spat out as Moria walked over to Max, picking her up and began to hum softly, rubbing her daughter's back, trying to calm her. It worked after a few minutes of shushing before Max finally began to quiet down and was able to accept the stuffed plushie Sirius was trying to hand her.

"Well she's definitely a Black. Difficult to please, easy to anger."

"Hey!"

"Boys, boys play nice." Lily said with a chuckle. "Don't make Moria and me separate you two." She warned. Moria grinned, bouncing Max gently.

"Honestly you two act like toddler brothers than actual grown men." Moria chastised taking note of a flicker of pain on Sirius's face, before it returned to a cool indifference about the whole subject of siblings, and she withheld the frown. "You okay?" Moria asked later that night as she and Sirius gently tucked Max in. Sirius gave her a look of confusion.

"Of course I am. Why?"

"It's just…you've been quiet…well quieter since I mentioned the whole thing about brothers." She said. He sighed and absently brushed the small fringe of hair on Max's head. The little girl made a mew of protest but remained asleep.

"I'm alright."

"You tried Sirius. When we were in school, you tried to get him away."

"I didn't try hard enough. He's still dead…and he would probably be alive if he hadn't joined Voldemort." Sirius said. Moria sighed, knowing it was pretty much useless to try and talk to him right now.

"You going to stay here a little bit longer?"

"Yeah. I'll see you in a few minutes." He said, kissing her gently.

"Okay." She retorted gently with a laugh, before leaving. Sirius continued watching Max as she slept, one tiny hand gripping a small plush dog, the other lying parallel to her head, her tiny fist unfurled slightly, and sucking a binky. She was so small, so tiny, and innocent. Gently he brushed a finger against her fist, smiling as he watched her fist clench for a split second before relaxing. Glancing to the door and seeing that Moria was no longer standing there, he searched his pocket before he found what he had been looking for. Gently he removed a locket from his pocket. It was a simple locket with a flower design was on the gront, a small purple gem was in the middle, while silver 'petals' sprouted around it. He knew that as she grew up, the locket would become smaller, but right then it was large enough to where she couldn't swallow it. Besides, he would make sure she wouldn't wear it…at least right then.

"Hey Sweetheart." He murmured and she shifted for a second before settling. "I promise you…I'll always protect you." He continued, before bending over her cot and placing a kiss on her forehead. Unseen by him, Moria watched and gave a soft smile, before leaving back to the kitchen, waiting for Sirius to come out.

* * *

It was a few days later, September 30th, 1981. Sirius had returned home a bit later than normal. He and James had finished up their latest mission and he was now both physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. Currently he was lying on the couch, Max nestled on his chest sleeping. He gently brushed his hand over her hairline and felt her little fists clench his shirt. Sirius smiled slightly as he shifted a little on the couch, his hand now moving from Max's head to span her little back and trace calming circles over the soft skin there.

There was movement to his right side but Sirius kept his gaze on Max, running his hand over Max's skull again, before feeling his wife kneeling down beside him and kissing the side of his lips. He immediately turned towards Moria and slowly kissed back; feeling the last of the day's stresses ebb away and the lines on his face relax. Max continued to sleep peacefully on his chest. He closed his eyes and smiled contently as his wife ghosted her thumb over the shadows he knew were under them.

"Tiring day?" she murmured. He felt her hand rest on top of the one he was stroking Max's back with. He latticed their fingers together, rubbing the top of her hand with his thumb.

"Mmm." was all he managed, the combination of her soft touch and the warm weight of Max lulling him into the beginnings of sleep.

"We missed you." she breathed. "She doesn't like it when you leave."

"I don't like it when I leave," he whispered back, enjoying the way Moria was now combing her fingers through his hair and as he usually did emitted a low sound of approval.

"She started crying the minute you left," she continued. "It took me ages to calm her down." She complained rolling her eyes.

Sirius sunk deeper into relaxation, his eyes still closed but his heart swelling, "It's kind of comforting to know she misses her dad."

He felt Moria smile and then extract her hand from the one he was resting on Max before standing up slowly. "You're missed a lot in this house during the day." She stated almost seductively but still with a playful overtone

Sirius's lips curved, feeling his daughter move at her mother's absence, and his eyes opened just slightly as he looked at her. "It's nice to be missed. Makes me feel special."

"You are special, Mr. Black" chuckled his wife as she walked into the kitchen, "you're also exhausted. I have your dinner if you would like it now." She suggested but he knew she wasn't going to let him go to bed without eating at least something.

Sirius was so worn out he didn't know if he would have the energy to eat anything, but this thought was quashed as fumes pertaining to the likes of lamb chops and boiled potatoes wafted into his nose and he forced his eyes open. He was grateful the room's lighting was dim for the comfort of Max, and Sirius couldn't help but smile again as he caught sight of his daughter slumbering over his heart, rising and falling slightly with each breath he took.

"Here," Moria said, setting down a steaming plate on the coffee table and smiling slightly when Sirius wouldn't take his eyes off their baby, "let me hold her while you eat."

"Yeah," agreed Sirius, eyeing his food appreciatively before supporting Max and slowly sitting up, the aches and pains of the day's activities burning through him causing him to grunt. He felt slightly empty when Moria took Max into her own arms and she sat down in the room he'd made for her on the sofa.

He watched them while he ate.

Max had begun to stir. Little fat fists clutched at Moria's nightgown as she awakened slowly, squirming a little before she began to fuss. Thick tears rolled down her cheeks and Sirius felt his stomach roll at the sight. His daughter in distress was not something he enjoyed witnessing.

"Like father, like daughter." Moria joked, grinning at him. "Always hungry."

Sirius swallowed his mouthful of peas and potato and watched as Moria one-handily unbuttoned her shirt and slipped a shoulder bare. Before long, Max was suckling greedily on her breast, her previous woes were already forgotten in the materialization of milk and slowly her fussing disappeared. Sirius couldn't help but reach over and brush his fingers across Max's head like before. Moria was watching him oddly.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, "You're quiet tonight." She added. Normally he would joke about how that should have been a good thing, but he couldn't today.

"Yeah," he breathed, sparing her a small smile, which he felt wasn't convincing her. "Just work catching up with me."

Understanding crossed her features, "Well, you're off duty now so just relax. Crouch is honestly getting on my nerves with the amount of work he's makes you and James do, knowing that you both have children."

At the mention of children Sirius took his hand from Max and placed his plate back on the coffee table. Suddenly he didn't feel hungry as the images from the day's (and part of the night's) case surfaced. He returned to caressing Max's head automatically.

"We closed the Liverpool case today."

"Oh that's good," Moria said softly, and again Sirius could tell she was staring at him oddly and a bit in pain as he could figure she knew it hadn't turned out well.

Sirius moved closer to his wife and touched Max's upturned palm with his finger, smiling as Max gripped it strongly. He felt Moria's hand that wasn't supporting Max run through his hair and settle on the back of his neck. He closed his eyes, knowing full well that she was going to ask.

"Did something happen?" she asked.

"We got the Deatheaters…but we were too late. They had managed to get another muggleborn family before we got to them."

"Sirius…" she stated and he looked at her, relieved to see that there was no disappointment in her face, no judgment.

"They had a little girl and boy…" Sirius stated. "Neither one even woke up from their beds before they... The parents weren't as lucky." He finished and Moria held Max closer to her chest and played with the hair on the nape on Sirius's neck.

"It's not your fault." She said and he let out a sigh.

"I know…it's just… it was disturbing. The Deatheaters who did it are getting the Kiss, but I honestly don't think it's enough punishment for them."

"I know. It never is." She said, not needing to say anything else. "How's James?"

"He's okay. He's a bit more upset because Harry is wanted by Deatheaters, and those children are what the said outcome is if we don't stop them, but I bet Lily is helping him." Sirius said as Max dislodged from Moria's breast. She let loose a tired cry now full, and flopped her head towards her father, little arms flailed wildly in Sirius's direction. The child's large eyes, the same shape and color as his own, stared at him.

"I think she wants you to burp her," Moria remarked, letting Sirius take Max from her arms and place Max upright over a broad shoulder. Max immediately snuggled her face into Sirius's neck and clasped the shoulder of her father's shirt, content to be held. Moria laughed and Max finally burped, a little spew of partially digested milk wetting the collar of Sirius's shirt.

He merely chuckled, "Good aim honey, it's better than my face." He joked and he heard the characteristic coo from Max.

Sirius lowered Max from his shoulder and cradled her in the crook of his arm as he waved his wand and cleaned up the mess on his clothes. He grinned as Max stared sleepily up at him before stowing away his wand and wiping a dribble from Max's mouth with his sleeve, before watching Max's bright, almond shaped eyes close and her little breaths even out. He looked up to see Moria staring at him with glassy eyes. He blinked in confusion.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing. I just realized how lucky Max is to have you as a Dad." She stated softly and he gave her a look.

"Just realized?" he asked and she laughed softly leaning on him.

"Oh I knew Max was lucky Sirius Black. I just never realized how lucky." She said, brushing her hand against Max's cheek. Moria nestled her head into the crook of his neck as Sirius brought an arm around her shoulders while they both peered down at sleeping Max. Sirius breathed deeply and closed his eyes as he buried his nose into Moria's hair, trying to imprint into his mind the feeling of utter contentment he was experiencing.


	28. SHATTERED LIVES

"Are you sure you have to go?"

"James wanted to talk to me about something." Sirius replied as he pulled on his leather jacket. Moria looked at him curiously and then shrugged. Max fussed loudly in her arms, stretching her hands out towards him.

"Max, don't worry sweetie. You'll see me in a few hours." Sirius stated as he went over to her and she latched onto his hand. Max, however, continued to fuss, gripping his hand tightly as she cried and screamed. It was clear she did not want him to go.

"Definite Daddy's girl." Moria joked as she and Sirius finally managed to pry Max from him.

"She's never acted like this before." He remarked, confused at the 2 month old baby. "I didn't even know babies that young reacted like that."

"Neither did I. But each baby has their quirk." Moria said with a shrug, rubbing Max's head. Max gave a low whimper and Sirius smiled almost painfully. He didn't want to go as much as Max didn't want him to go. He kissed Max's forehead.

"Don't worry sweetheart. I'll be back before you know it." He said to her. Max stared at him, her eyes glassy but she cooed as he kissed her forehead. He ruffled her hair before moving up and kissing Moria on the lips.

"Be careful okay?" She murmured against his mouth and he grinned.

"Yes wifey. I love you." He said and she smiled.

"I love you too." She replied and he kissed her again before he left the flat. A few minutes later she could hear him revving the engine to the motorcycle. One of these days, she would have to convince him to get something different, but chances were it wasn't going to happen soon. She smiled then looked at her daughter.

"Alright Miss Cranky. Let's go get some food in that stomach of yours." She teased before she walked back into the flat, closing the door and locking it.

* * *

Moria was sitting on the couch reading a book, glancing ever so often at Max who was seated in her baby bouncer, asleep. She smiled softly but then looked up when there was a rapid, almost frantic knock on the door. She got up and quickly grabbed her wand, cautiously heading to the door. She knew that Deatheaters wouldn't be so polite as to knock on a door…but…she peered through the peep hole and was shocked to see Wulfric standing there. She opened the door slightly.

"What are you-" She began to ask but he immediately drew her into a hug.

"Oh thank Merlin. I thought I was going to be too late."

"Wulfric!" Moria exclaimed in shock and confusion. Once again he ignored her and continued into the house, her following.

"Get Max and some items."

"What?!"

"Just do it. We don't have a lot of time. I need to get you to Hogwarts-!"

"Bloody hell Uncle Wulfric, calm down and tell me what the hell is going on!" Moria demanded, crossing her arms. When Wulfric turned to tell her again, he saw the mirror image of Mable standing there. He ran a hand through his hair letting out a low breath and curse.

"Moria…you and Max are in danger." He said and watched her face grow pale and her eyes widened resembling owl's eyes.

"W…what?" she stammered out.

"Moria…someone put a hit on you and Max. Dumbledore got wind of it. But we have got to go." He said.

"How do I know that you're telling the truth?" She asked.

"You're the daughter of my sister who died in a tragic car accident and my family was stupid enough to tell you that you were our niece and granddaughter on an emotionally trying day." Wulfric said quickly. "Moria, please. I don't know when the Deatheaters will come. We need to get you two out of here. Quickly." He said. Moria starred at him in confusion as though she wanted to believe this was a joke. Then, she snapped out of it and went to the bedroom, grabbing a bag on her way. She stuffed several things in there…some items that had some value to her…and several things for Max. Her stuffed dog that Alice had made for her, that locket that Sirius had tried hiding from Moria except he had left it on the shelf right above Max's cot. She stuffed several other things that she thought Max would need. She paused once again.

What was she going to do? Go along and sit in Dumbledore's office? No…if she was being targeted, that mean that so was Sirius. She bit her lip as she jammed a photo album.

Just in case she didn't come back.

She walked back out, wrapping the sling around her shoulder as she bent over and picked Max up. Max blinked sleepily, not sure why her Mummy was waking her up. But Moria ignored the annoyed whimper that Maxine gave her and looked at Wulfric, before holding Max and the bag out to him.

"Take her."

"What? You're coming too!"

"I need to go find Sirius."

"Moria-"

"Sirius is in much trouble as I am. And he's at Lily and James's home." She argued. "I'll be alright. Just go." She adamantly assured. Wulfric paused, unsure of what to do. But then he nodded.

"Be safe."

"I will." Moria replied and watched as Wulfric turned, clutching Max tightly. She stood in the flat for a split second longer before she too, turned on the spot. And all she saw was a whirl of colors and darkness.

* * *

Something wasn't right. He could feel it as Sirius flew closer and closer on the motorbike. Something was terribly wrong. His worries were only confirmed when he finally got to Godric's Hollow and saw that the Potter residence was now visible, and the roof—where the nursery was—Sirius began to realize in horror had collapsed, smoke coming from the debris. Not even waiting till his bike Sirius was landing on a grassy lawn, jumping off and stumbling several time as he ran toward a door.

He burst through it, calling, "James! Prongs, where are you! J-"

He ran through a kitchen and into a sitting room, where Sirius halted. "James…" A sob caught in Sirius' throat as he spotted the body lying in the parlor. He hurried over to his best man…his brother in all but blood, kneeling over him. James stared at him blankly from beyond his glasses, unseeing.

"James, come on this isn't funny." Sirius whispered out. But James didn't stir, didn't blink.

Didn't breath.

"WAKE UP! JAMES, THIS ISN'T FUNNY ANYMORE!" Sirius continued to yell, now shaking his friend. Once again…nothing. "OPEN YOUR EYES! PLEASE!" Sirius begged, his voice slowly losing power to speak as the lump grew bigger and bigger.

"James." Sirius whispered again and the tears slid down his face as he chocked out a sob. There were other warbling noises and then a baby's shrill cry pierced the air. Sirius's head shot up and he looked towards the sound before he sped up the stairs.

"Lily? Lily are you-" He called out as he slid into the remains of the nursery, only to find the redhead lay on the ground, her eyes open, but just like her husband downstairs, showed no hint of recognition or life. He nearly staggered backwards but stopped when he heard a familiar wail. He looked up and saw Harry staring at him, crying loudly, his hands reaching through the bars of the cot like a prisoner would do so in a prison. "My god…Harry…_Harry_. Thank God…" Sirius stopped making sense then as he scooped the wailing toddler from his cot and cradled him against his chest. He rocked back and forth, his fingers running gently through the tangled black hair, his nose buried in the baby's hair as Sirius rocked Harry, and his own tiny fists curled into Sirius' shirt as the wailing melted into hiccups.

"Shh… it's all right, love," Sirius crooned. "Everything is going to be all right… You're safe, love, you're safe…Sirius is here."

He gathered up a blanket from the cot and wrapped it around the little boy. "Come on," he whispered, "we need to get out of here..."

They made their way quickly to the backyard again, Sirius pausing in the parlor. His lips trembled as his eyes went back to the door—to James. Sirius' arms tightened around his bundle with another muffled sob as he pivoted and hurried out. Just as he sat on the motorbike, Hagrid, with fat tears in his eyes, lumbered into the yard. One look on his face told Sirius all he needed to know. He growled.

"He belongs with me and Moria." Sirius said fiercely.

"Dumbledore's orders," the half-giant kept repeating stubbornly, no matter how many times Sirius argued, though he did look as though he regretted it.

"Why?" Sirius demanded. "He'll be safe with me, with Moria. You KNOW that."

Hagrid shook his head. "Dumbledore said 'arry was to go Lily's sister for now. Said 'e'd be safest there; said nothing can 'urt 'im."

Sirius pulled the little boy protectively into his chest. "Does he think someone is going to come after him?" he asked sharply.

"Dumbledore just said 'arry would be safe there for now."

Sirius searched the large face, the gentle eyes that no one could misread. Hagrid waited patiently. "All right," Sirius eventually breathed. "If Dumbledore thinks it's best for now," Sirius said quietly, a warble still in his voice. "And if he thinks we can make Harry safe, I want to help. But once Harry is out of danger, Moria and I are getting him back."

Hagrid made no response to this, and nodded in relief. Sirius shifted little Harry in his arms. "You hear that, Harry?" he whispered softly. "Hagrid is going to take you somewhere safe. Just until I can make certain you'll always be safe, all right, love?"

The little boy babbled, and tears shone in Sirius' eyes. "I'll come right back," he promised. "Hagrid will take care of you… Love you," he said softly as he pressed a kiss to the rosy cheek. Sirius transferred his younger self into Hagrid's arms and the toddler began to wail.

"It's all right," Sirius told him hoarsely. "I'll be right there… Take my motorbike," he croaked to Hagrid. "I won't need it."

Hagrid looked down at him with dubious eyes. "You sure?"

"Take it," Sirius rasped. He reached out a gentle hand, caressed it over Harry's fringe as Hagrid lowered his bulk onto the bike's seat. "Be careful with him."

The little Harry continued to howl his displeasure as Hagrid revved the engine and rose up off the ground. Sirius watched the motorbike until it was out of sight, his hand over the lower half of his face, his body trembling in the late October night.

As soon as they were gone, he turned on the spot.

* * *

Moria stumbled slightly as she landed. Blinking she looked around, a tight hold on her wand as she looked around. She felt her heart slam into her throat as her gaze finally landed on the Godric's Hollow home. A crowd was growing around it. They could see it.

"_No…"_ She thought weakly, as she stood there frozen. Then she forced her legs to move. She stumbled once and then twice but managed to regain her footing and hurried over just in time to see a coroner walk out. Behind him two large body bags were being carried out by two pairs of workers.

At that moment, it seemed that the world had stilled, time had stopped as she stared at those two bags dumbly a rushing sound roared loudly in her ears. It couldn't be them, she thought weakly. It couldn't be them. Please…don't let it be them. But it was. That was their house…that was their home…that was…

"Lily…James…" She whispered and then she collapsed onto her knees, staring at the scene stupidly, the burning in her eyes not even registering to her as the tears finally slid down her face.

"Such a sad thing. I didn't even know there was a house there. I guess the family just kept to themselves." She dimly heard.

"Such a sad thing for two lives to be cut short."

Two?

She perked up and stood quickly, nearly falling backwards and surprised the two women.

"Two?" She whispered out in shock. "Not three?"

"Well I believe that they're only taking out a woman and a man."

"What about their son?"

"The constable only said they found two bodies." The old woman shrewdly replied and Moria looked over at the house. Then it slammed into her like a ton of bricks.

Sirius.

"Do you know the fam-" One of the women began to ask, but Moria had already turned and bolted down the road, the buildings seemed to blur as she raced down them, trying to find an empty spot where she could apparate. Please…please…if there was any justice in this world, let Sirius have Harry. Let him be at home. Please. PLEASE.

* * *

Burn marks

Broken glass.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Gone. They were both gone. Just like James and Lily, Sirius realized, as he stared at the destroyed flat with shock. He felt his heart twist and shatter when he spotted the blood stained cot that had been placed in their room. No…God, please no…no…not them. He had just lost his friends…and now he was losing the rest of his family?

He would have collapsed. His world was caving in. He nearly did. But he needed to find someone…tell ANYONE what had happened. He turned again swam along with him through the kaleidoscope of colors until another room solidified around them. It was bare, with furniture well-worn but tidy, the only items out of place were some toys that Geoffrey had left out. But those two were out…he knew that much.

"Remus?" Sirius called hoarsely as soon as he solidified. Hesitant footsteps rustled down the stairs in the middle of the room. Sirius' face immediately changed and with minimal movements, he had drawn his wand.

"Sirius," Pettigrew squeaked as he thrust his empty hands into the air, "it's only me!"

Sirius' wand arm tensed. "Who did you give James' address to?" he asked shakily. Peter had paled but he shook his head.

"Padfoot, I-I don't know what you mean."

Sirius' face twisted with fury. "They're dead!" he cried. "James and Lily are dead and I know it was you, Peter! You were their Secret Keeper! Who did you tell? Tell me!"

He didn't see the spell Pettigrew cast, but he heard it, heard the reverberating, "_Confringo!_" The spell missed Sirius, reducing the couch to splinters instead.

"Impedimenta!" Sirius shouted but Pettigrew had already scrambled down the stairs. Sirius' next curse nearly caught his shoulder but he swerved at the last second and burst through a door. Sirius swore violently and ran after him, dodging another misaimed _Confringo_as he pursued his friend down an empty street lined with small houses. Pettigrew took a sharp turn around a store front at the end of the well-kept neighborhood and instead of resuming the chase, Sirius turned on the spot, disapparated with a pop and reappeared just in front of Pettigrew.

A lady screamed as Sirius materialized from nothing. Neither man seemed to notice the bystanders as most of them fled. Sirius hurled a Leg-locking Curse at Pettigrew. Pettigrew scrambled away, shouting as he ran, "Murderer! You killed them, Sirius! Your own best friends! Murderer!"

Sirius' face crumpled in confusion, and the distraction was enough. Harry watched in horror as Pettigrew fired a Bone-ripping Curse into the crowd of dumbstruck gawkers that were there for some late-night shopping and Halloween fun. Sounds of flesh tearing from bones and the bones themselves as they were shorn in half was heard and blood began spilling into the street.

Then Pettigrew pointed his wand at his own finger, and with a screeched word, it tore away from the knuckle and fell to the ground, rolling to a stop in front of Sirius' black boot.

Sirius, eyes glassy and mouth gaping, stared at it, not even looking up as Pettigrew raised his wand.

"SIRIUS!"

Both Peter and Sirius's heads shot up at the call and saw Moria had apparently apparated several seconds before. Her eyes were red and puffy, indications that she was or had been crying. The baby sling was empty…she had escaped, but not Max, Sirius realized dimly. But she was still alive.

Suddenly Peter was laughing again and a cold lump settled in Sirius's stomach in realization to what Peter was now planning to do. He extended his arm towards her, his hand outstretched to try and stop her, his eyes widening in panic as he took a step forward.

"Moria, r-"

"Pulsus!"

It was slow motion then. There was a loud explosion and Sirius was blinded by a bright light. He heard Moria scream something loudly, before she vanished into the light and the loud roar. As if a club had been rammed into his stomach, Sirius' eyes rolled back into his head and he doubled over with a low grunt as the street around them began to melt, but before he lost consciousness he saw Peter morph into a rat and skitter into a drainage ditch.

Then darkness became his companion.

* * *

He groaned as he awoke and began to force himself into a sitting position. What an odd dream. Peter had betrayed them, James and Lily were dead, Max had been killed by Deatheaters, and Moria was dead by an explosion made by Peter. He dimly blinked, confused when he felt something brush against his hand. He turned to it and let out a yelp when he came into direct contact with a dead muggle. He looked around and saw the carnage around him. Buildings were destroyed, smoke crawling up from the charred debris; and it was nearly silent except for the occasional moan, and the distant sounds of sirens.

"_Moria…_" He thought and looked up to where he had last seen her.

She was gone. There was nothing left of her. All that there was left was the destroyed, torn baby sling that lay limply on some charred rubble. It hadn't been a dream. It had really happened. He stared at it dumbly.

Then slowly began to laugh. His laughter began to grow louder and more pronounced, more insane as he just sat there and continued laughing as wizards and witches from the Ministry apparated in.

As the witches and wizards dragged him away, they failed to notice that behind the laughing exterior, he was crying, his eyes wild in pain.

They didn't seem to care as they shoved Sirius into the waiting arms of some Aurors. They left before the law enforcement, fire truck, and ambulances arrived.

"Quick! Begin searching for survivors!" One of the chiefs called out and the others did as they were told, calling out for survivors. He looked around at the carnage. There couldn't be a lot of survivors…that was evident.

"Sir!" Someone called out. He turned to see a lieutenant standing inside a shop, his face seen through the shattered remains of the front window. The chief rushed over, listening to the crunching of the glass under his boots as he peered in. The younger man was cradling a young woman to him. She was completely limp against him, resting her head to his chest. Even in the darkness of the night he could see she was bleeding horribly, the result of going through a window, shredded by the broken shards. In her hand, she was clutching a—what the police chief would consider—stick.

"She's still alive Sire." The young constable exclaimed. "But she's really injured."

"You there!" The other constable called out through the window. "Get a stretcher here! Now!"

"…us…"

The two men looked down at the prone figure to see her eyes opened only a fraction, though she seemed to be fighting back unconsciousness.

"Sirius?" she asked weakly.

"She's alive! Hurry up with the stretcher. We need to get her to the hospital!"

Her Sirius wasn't even visible.

Moria weakly raised her hand towards the opening of the window, her fear growing, not really caring that she felt tears growing.

"Sirius…Don't go…"

Her vision was growing black but she saw the lights of the constable cars, the ambulances, the fire trucks before her vision began to swim, the burning in her eyes finally growing too much and tears began sliding down her face.

"Don't…Don't…" Her vision began to dim and she could hear the two men yelling at her in a panic.

_"Please…I can't lose you too…S-Sirius…."_

Her hand swung limply and desperately where Sirius had been, stretching slightly as though to try to reach what was no longer there before her consciousness drifted back into darkness and her hand grew limp.

_**Don't leave me too.**_

***EVIL LAUGH* READ AND REVIEW PLEASE :)  
**


	29. PICKING UP THE PIECES

Moria panted as she apparated. She was confused at first. She had been following Sirius's apparition trail. But was she-

She spotted him. And Peter.

"SIRIUS!"

Both Peter and Sirius's heads shot up at the call. Oh thank goodness…he was still alive. When she had come home and seen the destruction—! Suddenly Peter was laughing. Moria saw Sirius extend his arm towards her, his hand outstretched as though to try and stop her, his eyes widening in panic as he took a step forward. She slid to a stop, in confusion.

"Moria, r-"

"Pulsus!"

It was slow motion then. She had already been in the process of raising her wand. She turned towards the sound of the spell and barely managed to call out 'protego' before the aftershock of the spell slammed into her.

The ground left her and she flung backwards. She was weightless for several seconds before she slammed into the ground. Once. Twice.

Then, dimly in the roar of her ears, she heard glass shattering and the world becoming dark. She grunted as she slammed into the ground again and rolled as glass rained down on her. Darkness filtered over her, as though she had been placed in a box with no windows. She stared at the ceiling of the room, realizing it was a clothing store. But slowly her vision began to disappear even though she saw shadowed faces. She wanted to reach out to the form. Sirius? Was it him?

"…us…"

The two men looked down at her eyes opened as she fought unconsciousness. She was nearly aggravated. _"Can't they tell me where he is?"_

"Sirius?" she asked weakly.

"She's alive! Hurry up with the stretcher. We need to get her to the hospital!" The man holding her exclaimed. No…that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted him. She slowly roved around the room

Her Sirius wasn't even visible.

Moria weakly raised her hand towards the opening of the window, her fear growing, not really caring that she felt tears growing.

"Sirius…Don't go…"

Her vision was growing black but she saw the lights of the constable cars, the ambulances, the fire trucks before her vision began to swim, the burning in her eyes finally growing too much and tears began sliding down her face.

"Don't…Don't…" Her vision began to dim and she could hear the two men yelling at her in a panic.

_"Please…I can't lose you too…S-Sirius…."_

Her hand swung limply and desperately where Sirius had been, stretching slightly as though to try to reach what was no longer there before her consciousness drifted back into darkness and her hand grew limp.

_Please…Sirius, come back…._

* * *

_Slowly she awoke. She was wearing a long flowing white gown, staring into the clear blue sky that was above her. She slowly sat up and observed her surroundings. She was in a never ending field of white lilies. A breeze fluttered through her hair as she looked around, trying to see anyone. The breeze grew harder and she turned around to see Sirius standing several feet away from her, a carefree look on his face. She let out a sigh of relief and turned fully towards him._

"_**Sirius. Thank God." **__She called out. __**"I was so worried that you-"**_

_She stopped mid-sentence and mid-step. Something felt wrong. Something felt completely wrong. He continued staring at her, but slowly began to turn around and walk away._

"_**Sirius?"**__ She called out. He didn't turn back, her worry grew. __**"Sirius? Where are you going?"**_

_He continued walking farther. She stood there unable to move as though her legs had been stuck in cement._

"_**Sirius!" **__She screamed. Suddenly the blue skies became a dark grey, nearly black. The wind howled and became nearly unbearable, pushing her backwards. She tried to move forward, still yelling for him. Something snapped under her foot and she looked down to see the lilies withering away into husks, the ground underneath it becoming a deep red. Like blood. She looked towards where Sirius was and saw he was no longer there. She was alone._

"_**SIRIUS!"**_

* * *

Her eyes shot open and she bit back a scream as her vision became white for a split second. Was she blind now? Did that spell Peter had thrown out blind her?

She blinked rapidly and, to her relief her vision began to return. She ignored the tears that were sliding down her face. She didn't really care nor have the strength to wipe them away. She was staring at a lamp that had been drilled into a wall. She scanned her surroundings, trying to figure out where she was. In her slowly awakening mind, she realized she was in a muggle hospital. She glanced down at herself to see an IV sticking up from her wrist, and following the tube upwards saw the metallic pole standing millimeters from her bed, dripping a clear liquid into the tube, disappearing back into her wrist. The pale colored walls in each of the four corners of the room were not very vibrant or colorful at all. But she highly doubted this place was meant to be cheerful. There was a the beeping of the heart machines near her, telling her she was indeed alive, and not imagining this whole thing. A whooshing sound informed her of an oxygen machine was also next to her.

The harsh smell was entered her system and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. Sanitary sprays and cleaners gave a harshness to the air she didn't particularly like. The smell grew sharper and into some kind of medication, or wass it from all that bleach? Whatever the case, it was around in the air like a constant presence, never wanting to go away and leave her alone. She honestly hated muggle hospital smells. It always reminded her of the two days she spent in one; waiting for them to be able to contact her family and tell them the news that she was an orphan. She looked at herself and saw that both of her arms, from her hands all the way to where they were hidden under sleeves were covered in bandages. The stiffness in her cheek gave her the indication that there was a bandage there, and the familiar sensation around her neck told her she had one there. She could feel bandages on other parts of her as well.

But why was she here…of all places?

"Oh, you're awake."

She looked towards the door to see a young woman, a nurse probably, poking her head into the room. Moria stiffened and looked around, and to her relief saw her wand laying on the table near her, on top of a bunch of newspapers from…the Daily Prophet?

"Hello dearie." The nurse greeted as she entered, a fake smile plastered on her face. Moria glanced at her with a cool demeanor. Healers were one thing. Nurses and doctors were quite another in Moria's eyes. "Don't worry. You're safe."

"I'm…not…worried." Moria croaked, looking around. "Where's…Sirius?"

"Sorry dearie?" the nurse questioned. "No one by the name of Sirius has been here. Actually no one has been here for the two weeks that you've been here."

_Two weeks…_

Moria stared dumbly at the nurse, blinking rapidly as those two words echoed in her mind. Two weeks? She had been here two weeks? Why…why hadn't anyone looked for her? She returned to staring at the ceiling, counting the amount of cracks on the ceiling as the nurse checked her vitals. She closed her eyes when she felt the pressure on her wrist as the nurse checked the IV drip.

"What's your name?"

"Moria Black…or did you…choose not to look…at my driver's license?" she replied in sarcasm. The nurse glanced at her.

"It said Moria Prescott."

"My…maiden…name." She replied. Figures that she would end up with the crab for a nurse.

"I must say I'm rather surprised that no one has thrown away those newspapers yet." The nurse said hotly, looking at the stack. She made a move to throw them out, but Moria looked at her.

"Can I keep them?" She asked. The nurse look affronted but then nodded and after finishing the diagnostics, briskly walked out. Moria rolled her eyes before forcing herself into a sitting position with a grunt. She retrieved her wand and placed it closer to her side, feeling a bit more at ease with it near her. She glanced at the top newspaper, marked November 13th…Friday the 13th. How ironic.

The front article was discussing the defeat of Voldemort. Wait…what? Moria blinked in surprise and quickly began reading, ignoring the picture of Godric's Hollow as the front picture, her eyes widening as she continued reading the article. It had been Harry…a one year old managed to defeat the git that the magical world had been trying to defeat for _eleven_ years…probably longer than that. How had he managed that? Not that she wasn't happy about it…but still…

She let out a soft sigh in relief. Harry was alive. Lily and James had managed to protect him. She blinked rapidly, staring at the ceiling which had mysteriously blurred. She closed her eyes and blinked several times before moving that newspaper off of the pile, and looked at the next one. Her breath froze as she stared at three images: Bellatrix, her husband Rodolphus, his brother Rodolphus, and of all people, Barty Crouch Jr. being convicted for the torture of…Alice and Frank Longbottom.

At first she thought it had to be a joke. There was no way Alice and Frank...

But it was. She read the article, which detailed what had happened and what their sentences were to be. But to her it was empty words. To be tortured for an entire night…there was no way that they were the same.

"_What about Sirius?"_

She blinked in realization. What had happened to him? All she remembered was him looking at her in a panic, yelling at her before Peter let that spell loose. Had he gotten caught in the blast as well? But unlike her, hadn't managed to put a shield up? Her heartbeat quickened at that thought and she hurriedly began to look for an article about the explosion, about anything that happened. Finally she landed on the nightly issue of November 1st and froze. She just stared at the picture that was printed on the front.

Her eyes burned in agony and she became aware of a crinkling sound of paper being crushed under her hand and pain soon following. But she seemed to not take any heed as she began to shake harder and harder, and the burning sensation in her eyes finally became too great and tears began to slide down her face as she hunched over. She didn't need to read what the newspaper had written. She didn't need to know what it had said…for some reason she already knew. But she also knew another thing.

It wasn't him.

As she stared at the image of Sirius being held back by Azkaban guards as they took his mug shot, she could see total anguish in what other people would see was madness. What he had been accused for had been the explosion that nearly killed her. But it hadn't been _him_. She didn't know why Peter had decided to turn his wand on Sirius…she didn't know why the two were there in the first place. She only knew that her life, once again, had rapidly spiraled down again.

"Sirius…" She whispered. Despite herself, she smiled as well, brushing her thumb across Sirius's face.

Then drops of liquid began to fall down onto the frame.

She was crying…but she made no attempt to stop the tears. Heart wracking sobs began to claw their way up her throat, strangling out any words that she had. Her emotions she had been holding back since she awoke, burst forth. She looked around, as if expecting…hoping…_praying_…that Sirius would come out. That this was a bad dream.

But it wasn't.

He didn't.

James and Lily weren't there…they weren't there anymore or anywhere.

Sirius wasn't here. He wasn't here anymore.

_He isn't anywhere. And you'll never see him again._

He was not here. Sirius…

The sobs becoming louder and more defined the world around her becoming blurred and barely nonexistent.

"Don't lea-!" she chocked out as the sobs swallowed her words. "Don't leave me too! Please!" She begged to the empty air, but there was no comfort, no granted wish.

Just like her parents…just like James and Lily….just like Alice and Frank. They were torn out of her life.

Sirius wasn't there anymore…he wasn't anywhere she could follow.

She could never see him again.

And just like that…the heart that she had painfully rebuilt after the deaths of her parents, the heart that had begun to heal on its own, tore and shattered into pieces.

Because history had repeated itself…and she was alone again…irreversibly and painfully alone.

* * *

It had taken another two weeks before she was deemed well enough to leave the hospital. She didn't really argue. It was like she was in a great fog, a haze that no matter what she did, she couldn't escape. She looked around the street in a vague sense.

_Why did the days change?_

_Why could people laugh and smile so easily?_

_Why did the TV broadcast the weather forecast?_

_Why…_

Moria continued walking down the road, not with any particular place in mind. Where could she go? The flat had been destroyed…she was pretty sure Remus had either been killed, or something considering the destruction around his flat, Alice and Frank were at Mungo's, and James and Lily…

She swallowed as her eyes burned again.

"_When James and Lily were killed…when Sirius was sent to Azkaban…why didn't the world just stop along with them?"_ ran through her mind. Hopelessness covered her like the sun, washing over her from head to toe and she seemed to be unable to free herself from its chains.

She remembered that Malcolm had once told her that the world was divided into people who were needed and people who weren't. That she had merely been someone who hadn't been needed while he had been necessary.

That was a lie. That thought that the world needed to stay and exist for a mere person, muggle or magical, was preposterous. The reality was…there was not a single person that the world needed. No matter if it was a parent, a teacher, a genius, children, adults, herself, even Sirius…they were human beings that were not needed by the world. Because the world, no matter who died, no matter what happened, the world wouldn't worry about it. It would continue as it normally had sunrise to sunset…dawn to dusk. The world didn't need anyone to exist.

It was depressing thinking like that…it would make one realize how insignificant and how lonely they truly were. Maybe that was the drive for people to seek out others…to find someone who needed their existence.

To her Sirius had been that person. He had been the person that she had needed…to make her feel as though she wasn't insignificant. She had struggled through her life…all her pain and suffering…maybe just to find him. But he had been taken away from her…just like that…for something he would have never done. And just like that…she realized how lonely the world had truly been…and that there would be no one that she would feel the same way with as she had with Sirius.

She exhaled softly and looked around. Where was she going? Why did it matter? She shuddered slightly in the November air, but kept on walking. Her mind was hazy…clouded with grief.

What was she supposed to do now…who was she supposed to go to. No one here knew where she was, no one probably cared that she was alive, no one could comfort her the way she wanted them to.

She stumbled when she ran into a person, who roughly shoved her away, yelling at her angrily in some foreign language. A vacationer apparently. She looked around and found herself on a bridge overlooking the London Docklands. She walked over to the edge and peered over. It would be easy to die right then. It was winter. Jumping from this height and hitting the water she probably wouldn't last long at all…besides…anyone who fell from that height wouldn't survive. She just stared at the water below, the current that had been created from the boats that went through there.

Her mind wandered to the time that Sirius had compared her to a seashell…it had been rather humorous when he had faltered and felt so odd doing that, but it had also shown that he did have a sweet side. He had compared her to half a coquina shell.

But what about now?

If she had been half a coquina shell…she had been broken again…shattered into remnants of the shell. Just like her heart. He had promised her that she wouldn't be alone ever again…that she wouldn't be fighting a battle by herself. Yet he had chosen to follow Peter…for whatever reason that was unknown to her or to anyone…choosing to fight instead of going to her. Now she was all alone again. And to some degree that angered her.

She didn't know what to do…her mind trailed off again, the darkness sliding around her vision, the thoughts that had been locked away deep within her mind since she had lived Malcolm sprung back up. She leaned closer towards the edge staring at the water. Just a little bit further and-

"Mama!"

Startled, Moria turned and witnessed a peculiar scene that was in front of her. An older woman stood several yards away from her, looking through her purse. A young boy and little girl circled her looking anxious.

"Mama, hurry!" the little boy complained and the little girl nodded vigorously.

"Just a second, I'm finding the train tickets." The woman replied, before her face turned to glee. "Aha I found them!" she cheered before the two young children grabbed the woman's hands and began to pull her to the train station.

"We can't be late." The boy chastised and the woman laughed before rubbing the boy's hair.

"Relax." She said and with that the trio headed towards the station. Moria stared at the now empty spot almost in shock. Then it was like she was slapped in the face.

Harry and Max.

She stood there, staring at the empty space for a few moments more before she hurriedly began to walk, her pace slowly picking up to where she had broken into a dead run. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!

They needed her. Those two needed her. She had been selfish. She had forgotten that there were two people who _depended _on her and she had thought of only herself. She paused mid-step. But where they would be? She didn't know where Harry was, at all as he hadn't been with Sirius. She had made Wulfric take Max to Dumbledore and-

Dumbledore.

Moria swallowed and looked around. He was her best bet.

Now she would just have to convince him to listen to her.


	30. SAFE IN MY ARMS

It had taken her several hours to find a floo connection. And it had taken nearly 30 minutes to summon up her courage. She shouldn't have been afraid. Max was easy, and Harry should have been the same. By all legality, Harry belonged with her. But sometimes she wondered if Dumbledore would really care if that legality mattered. Well…he'd have to be prepared then, she finally concluded, her face hardening in resolve. Because there was no way in hell she was going to give up Harry without a fight.

"Alright," Moria murmured, taking the pot and opening it, sure enough it was filled with floo powder, "Might as well get this over and done with so I can get those two." She concluded and took a handful of the floo powder; she stepped into the fire which turned emerald as she threw the powder in and shouted, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Headmasters Office!" and she disappeared in a roar of flames.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore had been sitting tranquilly behind his desk, enjoying a bowl of lemon drops and working diligently to put together the mysterious pieces of a most important puzzle. He had just had his supper and was not expecting any company for the rest of the evening. Of course, likewise Dumbledore would attest to this fact, things do not usually agree to what you expect. So when emerald green flames erupted in his fireplace, he merely raised his half-moon glasses higher on his nose and waited to see who was arriving.

However, as composed as he was, even Albus Dumbledore could not restrain his cry of surprise when Moria Black stepped out of the fireplace. Dumbledore stood slowly watching in amazement as the woman dusted off her clothes. Moria glanced up and gave an even look at the aged wizard.

"Dumbledore." She greeted coolly as Albus stood up, looking at her. His sources had told him she had been killed in the explosion that had sent Sirius to prison. Yet here she was. "Sir," Moria continued, looking up to see the old man watching them with shock written all over his face. "I need to talk to you."

"Who are you?" he asked evenly.

"Who do you think I am?" Moria snapped sarcastically. "It's me. You married me off for Christ's sake!" She exclaimed. Before she could argue further, Dumbledore raised his wand quickly, muttering something under his breath. She flinched as she felt something flutter over her; almost a warm breeze before it vanished, leaving a tingling sensation over her.

"It really is you…" The old man murmured.

"Yes sir," Moria replied almost impatiently, "but I need to know about Harry and Max…"

"Why don't you have a seat," he waved a hand to the chairs before his desk, "I think we have much to discuss."

"Sir…really, I need to know, about Harry and Max…" Moria began as she sat down but Dumbledore raised a hand.

"They're both alive," Dumbledore said smiling.

"I figured. Or the Daily Prophet would have said differently." Moria replied. "Where are they?"

"Your daughter is with your guardians…a Mr. William and Mr. Jacob Sommers, I believe."

Moria exhaled the breath she hadn't been known to be holding, her muscles relaxing slightly as she sat there in the chair. She ran her hands over her knees and bit her lip, looking at Dumbledore.

"And Harry?"

"Harry is alive." Dumbledore repeated. Moria decided to humor him as it seemed he was content in stalling.

"How then? Harry is only a 1 year old. Grown men couldn't survive that curse…how did he…"

"I believe it was Lily's love to protect her son that saved him from the Killing Curse. He only received a scar." Dumbledore informed and Moria squeezed her eyes shut, rubbing the bridge of her nose slowly.

"Where is he?"

"With his last remaining relatives."

At first it didn't dawn on Moria what he meant by that. Whether it was because of the remaining traces of drugs the muggles had given her for pain or simply for the fact she would have never considered _them_ to be an option for Harry, she didn't know. But when it finally did she stood up angrily.

"Why?!" she cried, her brown eyes flashing angrily, "Why would you do that…she'd have hated him…you couldn't…I need to see him…now!" She was in such a state that words seemed to be coming to her with great difficulty, but Dumbledore understood and too rose steadily to his feet.

"Please Moria, understand," He began calmly but in a tone that ordered she listen, "When Lily and James sacrificed their lives in order to save their son's, Lily gave him a powerfully magical protection that no spell could ever offer. That night when Voldemort turned to curse Harry, it backfired; Lord Voldemort was supposedly destroyed by a one year old boy. I did the only thing that would ensure the boy's protection. I realized that if Harry was placed in the protection of someone who shared Lily's blood, neither Voldemort nor his followers would be able to find or harm him whilst he was in their care."

"Protection?! Care?!" Moria spat out. "He's in more danger with them, than with anyone else! Remus would have been the better option! Remus IS the better option."

"Remus is already caring for Geoffrey, Moria."

"He wouldn't have cared!" Moria retorted angrily. "This was one of his best friend's blood! You really think Remus would have let Harry go willingly to Petunia and Vernon? He knows that those two hate magic just as much as I do!"

"I will admit that I did not fully understand the nature of Petunia's resentment towards Lily or magic in general. However she's married now, she has a son of her own. Harry is her family, and I'm sure she's feeling sentimental right now. She'll take good care of Harry."

"I HIGHLY doubt it." Moria snarled

"He will be fed and clothed and given a place to sleep and kept far away from what would have been a far worse fate had he stayed in our world."

"And what is that?" Moria asked, sarcasm laced in her voice.

"Harry Potter will and is known far and wide throughout the Wizarding world as 'The Boy Who Lived', Moria. The boy who vanquished the most powerful dark wizard in our time, surely you see that growing up with that much attention would have been dangerous to the boy's sense of self? Harry does not need to grow up in the Wizarding World with all of this publicity. He should have a normal childhood, away from these responsibilities until he goes to Hogwarts.""

"Then you should have placed him somewhere else. Sirius and I-"

"Sirius is incarcerated, Moria." Dumbledore replied evenly. "Surely even you know that by now."

"For something he DIDN'T do!" Moria spat out. "He would have never done that!"

"Moria-"

"It was PETER." Moria replied, throwing her arms out in exasperation. "I was there. The bloody rat blew up the entire street…nearly killed me and Sirius."

"And though I believe you, Moria…the rest of the Wizarding World would not be so willing to believe the lover of what they see as a convicted killer, Crouch being the most. They are basing this on the belief that Sirius was the Potter's secret keeper and betrayed them to Voldemort as his follower," Dumbledore said. Moria stared at him in shock and disbelief, her mouth opening and closing, before she looked away, roughly brushing under her eyes.

"Do you know if he was?" Dumbledore asked and Moria shook her head.

"I know it wasn't him…but I told them not to tell me…the amount of danger I always got myself into wouldn't have helped them if I knew. I should have asked." Moria scolded herself angrily. Dammit… she should have asked.

"You were looking out for your friends…it is understandable." Dumbledore said. "The Ministry believes Sirius went after Peter to kill him…for reasons that only he and Peter know. He has no trial, and I doubt that Crouch or any of the Ministry would give him one."

"But-!" Moria began to say but the words stopped in her throat, knowing it was pointless.

"I'll keep trying to make them listen but I can't promise anything. For now, I think you and you're your daughter should go underneath the radar." Dumbledore informed and Moria looked at him through weary, bloodshot eyes.

"I'm taking Harry."

"Moria, I can't allow you to do that." Dumbledore informed and suddenly the air seemed to grow cold. Moria's gaze had turned nearly ice-cold.

"Excuse me?" She asked, her voice low, almost dangerous. He had been walking on thin ice ever since he had told her that Sirius was charged and convicted of murder. Dumbledore had now walked into dangerous territory. "You are NOT letting him stay with that…that…that disgusting family. They HATE anything involved in the Wizarding World!"

"Moria-"

"Do you know why I have those back scars?" Moria suddenly asked, looking at him spitefully. Dumbledore seemed, for once in her life, surprised by this question. She didn't wait for him to answer.

"I lived three years with an uncle who hated me because of who my mother was. I had done nothing to him, but simply because I existed. He abused me out of spite. You really think I'm going to risk putting my godson _willingly _in an environment that I'm sure is similar to my own?"

"He has to go to the Dursley's, they're his only family left." Dumbledore said calmly but that just enraged Moria further.

"Only fam- I'M HIS BLOODY GODMOTHER! I was there when Lily gave birth! I **am **the one who delivered him!" Moria yelled. "I was more her sister than Petunia ever was! They gave me title of Godmother for a REASON Dumbledore." Moria angrily said. "You really expect me to let you take him and give him to a family who could care less about him!?" she asked.

"Then what would you do to guarantee his safety?" Dumbledore asked, looking at her evenly. "As I told you, Harry will be well known in this country, probably the whole entire Wizarding world for his deeds. What would you be willing-"

"I'll move." Moria broke in, looking at Dumbledore. "I'll move as far away as you want me to. I won't contact anyone here if that's the case. I don't care." She pleaded. "Albus, you aren't understanding what I'm saying to you! I can't go home without him. I can't go home knowing he's with her and not me. Please, Albus. Please…I'm all he has left and he's…" Moria swallowed tightly, remembering the faces of all her friends…how everyone was now gone. "He needs me, Albus. Please."

Dumbledore was very quiet then, looking over Moria and seeming to study her for what felt like forever to her. Finally, he slowly stood and looked at Moria over his half-moon spectacles. "Very well." He whispered. "I will summon McGonagall and the two of us will accompany you to Petunia's residence. Then you are to go to your guardian's place for several days while I have the ministry draw up the papers and send them to you. You'll be his official guardian in a few days. I hope you know what you're getting into, Moria."

"I realize. I don't mind fighting tooth and nail to keep him with me. I _refuse_ to let him stay there with a family that hated his parents…hated him…you can't expect me to let another child go through what I went through."

"Very well Moria." Dumbledore stated. "Harry will be raised by you along with Maxine." he said and Moria let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding out slowly.

"We must be on our way Moria." Dumbledore stated. "Come along."

And Moria followed obediently, feeling as though a great weight had been removed from her chest. She may not have been able to protect James and Lily…and chances were she wouldn't be able to free Sirius without some sort of a miracle.

But at least she could repent and help Harry.

* * *

"Well this is place…repetitive." Moria commented as she glanced around Privet Drive, withholding a shudder. It felt so creepy. It was late at night and the lamps were lit to light the way for walkers or…she didn't know, drunkards, maybe. All the houses looked exactly the same, all the lawns well-manicured and green, a car in each driveway, except for every so often, signaling that the owner of that car was gone. It looked like one of those impossibly safe neighborhoods, where nothing bad was ever known to of happened and anything that did happen was just gossip worthy, as opposed to newspaper worthy. It was too… perfect. James and Lily would have wanted Harry to grow up someplace a little more unique than this, someplace safe, but with… more trees. Someplace more magical. There was definitely not a place for a little boy to play on his toy broom around here.

"I believe Petunia liked order." Dumbledore responded.

"Well this is a bit much, don't you think?" Moria asked as she finally spotted Privet Drive Number 4. Dumbledore however stopped her.

"There is one thing I must ask….if Harry is happy here, would you uproot him from this home?" He asked. Moria froze and then sighed, shaking her head.

"If he's happy there…if he doesn't want to leave, I won't take him away. But only if that happens."

"Moria…" McGonagall murmured, touching her student on the arm in a soothing manner. This couldn't be easy for her. She had never had children…she couldn't fathom what Moria was going through with the prospect with being a single mother to two children under the age of two. The younger woman just shook her head and gave the transfiguration teacher a slight smile.

"I'll be alright."

Dumbledore cleared his throat, though a twinkle was in his eyes. "We are here." They stood in front of Privet Drive Number 4, staring at the door. "Who shall do the honors?"

"I'll do it. They actually know me." Moria replied before she knocked on the door. Granted, knowing could be stretching it a bit. She had only been there three times. Once when Lily had been a teenager, another when it had been Petunia's wedding, and the last was the reception for the Evan's funerals. Though they had been introduced, that was basically all she had ever gotten from the older Evan sister. The rest of those three visits were met with chilled, disgusted looks that Lily may or may have not been aware of.

A skinny, horse-faced woman answered. "Hello? How may I-?" Petunia stopped, her eyes popping out as she stared horror-struck at Moria. "You!"

"Good to see you too, Tuney. Nice to know your manners haven't changed a bit." Moria remarked dryly. "Where's Harry?" She asked, getting straight to the point

"Who's Harry?" Her voice was shrill, covered in terror.

"Harry Potter. Lily's son. Your nephew." Moria responded dryly. "Where is he?"

"He's not here!" Petunia shrieked, trying to slam the door shut, but was stopped with Moria shoving her foot into the gap, only wincing when the door frame slammed into the inside of her foot.

"It isn't nice to close the door on guests," she mockingly lectured her, forcing the door open. There was no fight. Petunia had already sunk to the ground in terror, trembling from head to toe. Vernon came charging from the kitchen, holding a pitiful looking rifle.

"I demand that you leave at once!" he demanded bravely.

"Hello, Mr. Dursley," Dumbledore inclined his head slightly. "My name is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts Witch-"

"I don't need to hear that nonsense from a crackpot, old fool like you!" Vernon yelled, pointing the gun at Dumbledore.

A split second later, Vernon felt his gun fly out of his hands and he watched as the younger woman of the two, the woman he had seen those few times with Petunia's sister, grabbed both ends of the gun, and slammed it on her upper thigh, snapping it half with a crunch and throwing it to the ground in two, useless pieces, before two wands were jabbing into Vernon's face, the two wands being held by two VERY angry witches.

"I would apologize if I were you," McGonagall hissed, something the normally calm and composed witch would never do. Vernon backed into the wall, shuddering from the very touch of the wands.

"Where is he?" Moria asked, her voice low and deadly. She didn't have to repeat who 'he' was.

"What do you want to see that boy for?" Vernon stated angrily, his face growing purple at the mere mention of his nephew.

"We've come to pay little Harry a visit, though, we know it is rather late."

"Do you know how late it is?! What would the neighbors had thought if they spotted you!?" Vernon boomed. Moria rolled her eyes.

"You haven't changed a bit." She replied angrily. "Now tell us where Harry is!"

"This is MY house! I will not listen to three freaks and have them expect me to obey every word they demand!" Vernon roared. Moria however seemed more annoyed than frightened by the man who was easily twice her height and triple her weight. Her eyes had narrowed and had seemed to have gained a golden tinge around the edges of her irises. Something wasn't right…it kept repeating in her head that they were stalling for some reason.

"Where is he?" Moria asked again, stepping forward, ignoring the way the Muggle winced as she did so. She didn't let herself get permission. Instead she walked calmly up the stairs. She moved down the hallway while Vernon Dursley shouted after her, before apparently turning to the older teachers.

"Get out of my house you vermin!"

"Please, calm down Mr. Durlsey."

"We just want to see Harry." She heard McGonagall calmly state, and held back a snort; pretty sure the expression on the transfiguration's teacher was far from calm. The woman was a lioness and James and Lily had been part of her house…which meant by some extension, so was Harry.

Moria peeked into every bedroom upstairs, but spotted nothing of interest to her. There was the typical parents' bedroom, a playroom that was beginning to fill with toys, most of them looking like they'd seen better days, a sleeping infant that she knew wasn't Harry as he was nearly the shape of a basketball in the next room over, and finally a spare room that looked like it was for guests. But there was no sign of Harry whatsoever. She frowned, her suspicions were confirmed. He was only one…surely they wouldn't have been keeping him awake. The anger was flooding through her system as she came back down the stairs. "Where is he, Dursley? What have you done with my godson?"

"G-godson?" Petunia stammered.

"What, you think your sister would have given you that right, Tuney after all the crap you put her through?" Moria spat out, not really caring on how it looked like Petunia had been smacked. "Now where is he? In here…?" Moria flitted into the living room, peering around.

There was no sign of Harry in this room either. Just pictures of Lily and James's nephew, Dudley, who must have been the boy asleep upstairs. She frowned. "What have you done with him?"

"I will NOT be spoken to like this!" Vernon yelled. "I am the man of this house!"

"I don't give a flying fuck if you're the 'man' of the house!" She spat out. Neither teacher seemed to mind her language. "I wouldn't even care if you were the Ministry of Magic!" She spat. "Where is my godson?! If he's been hurt in ANY way, so help me I'll be joining my husband, you fat o-"

A sleepy, noisy wail echoed throughout the parlor and Moria froze as she stared at the stairwell cupboard. At first she thought she had heard wrong, then she prayed that she had. But the crying continued. Her expression was probably humorous. Any malice that had been in her expression had washed away, only to be replaced by a look of horror. The same expression probably echoed on the teachers' faces, while a look of panic crossed the Dursley's faces.

Moria moved forward.

"Stay out-"

The snarl that tore out of her throat stopped Vernon Dursley's demand in its tracks and he backed away from her, clearly unnerved at how animalistic it sounded. She continued walking forward and stopped in front of the door hesitating. She didn't want what was playing through her mind to be true. All she saw was the past repeating…how many times had she cried while she had been locked in the cupboard when she lived with Malcolm? How many times had her cries gone unanswered?

"Do you want me to open it?" Dumbledore asked quietly, taking out his wand.

"No. I'll do it," Moria replied softly, swallowing as she stared at the door with dread. Swallowing and mentally preparing herself for what she might see, Moria unlocked the cupboard door and swung it open.

Harry Potter was standing in the makeshift cot, that was simply an old mattress on a piece of plywood and an old baby gate stretched in front of the 'bed', that had been jammed into back of the cupboard, staring at the strangers with a teary, bewildered look. She noted in horror, even in the dim light that was pouring from out in the hall into the small closet, there was a large bruise across his face. But nothing could hide the brightness of his green eyes.

_Oh Harry, what have they done to you?_

The little boy continued staring, almost in confusion. Then he recognized the woman standing there. His face brightened and he stretched his tiny hands towards her, a wide grin on his face.

"TII MOMO!" He squealed and Moria let out a sobbing laugh as she bent down and gathered the little boy into her arms. He pressed his cheek into her shoulder, sucking on his thumb.

"H-Hi Prongslet. Oh Harry…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you." She whispered into his hair.

He frowned and shifted, looking at her.

"Tii Momo? Sad?" He asked. She shook her head letting a watery laugh escape.

"No. No Sweetie. I'm not sad. I'm just so happy that you waited for me." She said softly. "I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry I took so long." She replied kissing his cheek causing him to squirm.

"Icky." He commented and she laughed before looking at Vernon and Petunia coolly.

"You have two extra rooms upstairs, and you kept him under the stairs?" She asked, her voice low. The two adults were shaking like leaves now as Moria walked over to the two teachers, nudging Harry and motioning to McGonagall.

"Hey Harry, this Ms. McGonagall…she's going to be holding onto you for a few minutes, alright?" Moria asked soothingly. Harry looked McGonagall warily, tightening his grip on Moria. "I'll be right out Harry. I just need to…settle…some things with your aunt and uncle. Ms. McGonagall is a good friend of your parents."

Harry blinked at the mention of his mummy and daddy and then looked at Minerva again, before slowly, albeit hesitantly, lifting his arms towards her. McGonagall gently grasped the small child, who rested his head on her shoulder.

"Come on, Harry," Minerva said as she and he turned towards the door. "Let's go outside for a bit. It won't be long."

The boy glanced at his petrified family and at Moria, who offered a cheerful smile.

"Don't worry, Harry" Moria assured. "He's going to have a little chat with us. I promise we won't take long."

Still confused about the entire situation, Harry allowed McGonagall to lead him away from the house and away from the Dursleys. She waited till the door closed. Then she turned. The two Dursley's backed away in fear.

"So…your son gets a bedroom and a toy room…while your nephew gets a cupboard." Moria declared lightly, as though one was talking about the weather. To anyone else she was being pleasant. To anyone who actually knew her, she was teetering on the verge of a full on blow-up. "Mind explaining that to me _**Tuney**_?"

"You…you can't frighten me!" Petunia stammered out. Moria's glare turned dangerous, her eyes nearly golden now.

"Can't I? Why? Because you're a fucking adult that took out her jealousy over her sister on her son?!" She snapped, the air seeming to crackle with the accusation. "How could you-" Her voice was no more than whisper, shaking with suppressed rage. "How could you do that to him? He's just a boy!"

"What did you expect?! Your lot forced that child onto us! We never asked-"

"I NEVER ASKED FOR A LOT OF SHIT I WENT THROUGH!" Moria finally roared causing the other woman to take a step back. "I NEVER ASKED FOR ANYTHING THAT I'VE GONE THROUGH, BUT I WOULD NEVER DO THIS! BUT YOU…" She snarled, pointing her finger at the woman and Petunia whimpered, shrinking back behind her husband. "DON'T YOU FUCKING BACK AWAY PETUNIA! YOU DID THIS ON YOUR OWN FREE WILL! NO ONE FORCED YOU TO PUT HIM IN THERE!"

"What do you want me to say?!" Petunia spat out, her face suddenly becoming red. Moria gave her no answer. "That I'm sorry? Well I won't say that to you. All my life I lived in the shadow of my younger sister and when she dies she pawns her little freak off to me. I didn't owe them ANYTHING. But I still took him in didn't I?! Put clothes on his back and a roof over his head! I didn't have to! Vernon didn't want one your sort living in his house and neither did I but I took him anyway!" She snarled. Suddenly Moria slammed her closed fist into the wall, and there was a loud cracking sound. Dumbledore glanced over to her to see that the wall had several large cracks. It seemed her magic had infused briefly with her hand for that…and it had gotten their attention. Moria's expression was murderous. She had never raised her voice like that before…she had never had a reason to. But this…this had pushed her over the edge, and she didn't care anymore.

"Don't make me LAUGH!" Moria said contemptuously, "you only did that because you were afraid! Don't lie to me Petunia, what you did was not out of the kindness of your heart, and you did the bare minimum anyway. The clothes you gave Harry were probably just castoffs from your son, and as for the roof over his head? This may be the house he would have lived in but it would have never been his home would it? You would have made sure of that!"

Moria growled. "Well you won't have to worry about that anymore." She snarled and then turned around. "Dumbledore?"

The Headmaster sighed, and nodded, looking at Petunia and Vernon. "We will be taking custody of Harry. Your signatures will be required and the papers will appear tomorrow morning." Reluctantly, the old man tilted his head towards the Dursley's. "Thank you for your cooperation," he said, rather stiffly.

"Go! Take him! Get him out of my sight!" Vernon spat. "He's a freak just like his parents and the rest of you, and he'll get the sticky end just like his parents!"

Moria turned around again, pulling her wand out in a blink of an eye, and threw the Bat Bogey Hex straight into his face. Little bat wings appeared on his face, blinding Vernon, causing him to howl in pain.

Petunia fainted right on the spot.

"Moria." There was a slight warning tone in Dumbledore's voice but nothing more than that.

"Don't worry. The hex will disappear by tonight." Moria retorted coolly, pocketing her wand as she glared fiercely at the terrified man on the ground. "Think of it as a reminder of what you did to my godson." She added and with that the two left, walking over to where McGonagall and Harry were. Harry perked up when he spotted his guardian and gave a toothy smile.

Moria's expression softened as she walked up to him, taking Harry from McGonagall. "Hey Prongslet…ready to go? We'll have to stop by my Uncle William and Uncle Jacob for a little bit."

The little boy didn't respond, instead simply nuzzled the crook of her neck, sucking contently on his thumb. She made the mental note to get him, or conjure up a binky for him.

"If only I had known." Dumbledore sighed. "I am so sorry."

"Dumbledore, you couldn't have known they would do that." Moria replied, her voice now quiet, as she stroked Harry's messy hair affectionately.

"Tii Momo…" Harry murmured, sleep heavy in his voice. She smiled and kissed his forehead.

"It's alright Harry…you can go to sleep." She offered. He shook his head, but seemed to be losing that battle.

"I not sweepy."

"Yes you are." She argued and watched as the little boy's eyes close again, this time not reopening. This was better. It would be easier apparating with him now. And with that the two women and Dumbledore apparated to a familiar townhome, one that Moria remembered so well from her childhood. It was worn down and in need of a new paint job, but it was in a safe neighborhood, and she felt finally at home after the last four weeks.

"We should be getting back to the school. I must write a letter to the Ministry to explain the boy's new living accommodations. They have to be informed. I trust that you will be fine?" Dumbledore asked and Moria nodded as she headed up the stairs. She stopped and turned to look at them.

"Thank you." She finally stated and the two adults smiled appreciatively. Then in a blink of an eye, the pair were gone. She sighed and then turned, facing the door. Balancing Harry with one arm, she knocked on the door.


	31. HOME IS

Jacob looked at the door when he heard a knock, an eyebrow rising in confusion. Now who on earth could that be? It was nearly midnight. Grunting, he stood up and straightened his shirt before walking over and peering through the peephole. He stiffened in shock, before throwing the door open.

"Moria?!"

"Hey, Uncle Jacob." Moria offered tiredly, giving him a smile as he stared at her in an almost humorous expression. Sadly she wasn't in the mood to laugh. "Can I come in?"

He was silent for several seconds...almost as though he thought she would vanish. Then she was in his arms a split second later. "Oh thank god…thank god…" He was murmuring. Moria closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax a little bit, before Jacob turned, yelling up the stairwell.

"Will! Will! It's Moria! She's here!"

There was a clatter and footsteps running down the stairs and over Jacob's shoulder Moria saw William slide into the parlor and offered a weary smile. Then in seconds she was in both of their arms, and she wrapped her free arm around both men. Harry, however, let out a loud whine of annoyance, clearly angry that his sleep had once again been interrupted. The two adults moved away and looked at Moria, Harry, before Moria again. Moria coughed uncomfortably, shifting in her stance.

"I'll explain later…is there a place I could put him down for the night? Maybe?"

"Oh…oh of course." Jacob stuttered, letting her in. William had already gone up the stairs to where the bedrooms were and she followed. She finally spotted him setting up an old travel cot. At first she didn't recognize it.

"That was mine…wasn't it?" She asked softly as she observed the faint colors. William offered a ruthful smile and nodded.

"Maarten asked if we could hold onto it…in case you ever got a sibling…" William explained his voice soft. "And after they died…well…" He cleared his throat. "We couldn't toss a lot of their old stuff."

"Thank you. For keeping it." Moria responded, her free hand brushing over the railing. It was pink, but Harry was to young and too tired to notice that night...at least she hoped that.

"Moria…what happened?" William asked. "Four weeks ago, Wulfric and Dumbledore came here telling us you were DEAD. Do you know what it was like to tell your family that? Why did you-"

"Not right now, Uncle William. I'll tell you later tonight, but please. Not right now." She asked, looking at him in clear desperation and thankfully, he didn't push her.

"Max is in the room next to this one." He informed her, before leaving her in the silence of the room. Only Harry's shifting gave her proof that time was still moving. Moria swallowed before shifting Harry off of her hip and settling him down on the mattress, his small feet touching it. Almost as that awoke him, with sudden vigor, he gripped her blouse tightly and looked at her in a tired, yet almost pleading fashion .

"Harry-"

"Want Mama."

Her heart froze as she stared at Harry, her hands still holding his sides, blinking furiously to try and staunch the tears as Harry looked at her pleadingly, begging for information that had been denied him by his aunt and uncle. "Harry…I'm sorry…I-"

"Where Mama? Where Dada?" He asked. She pulled him to her again, pressing a hand into that mane of hair that adorned his head, trying to kepe herself from breaking down right then.

"I'm sorry, Prongslet." She whispered, her voice wavering. "Mama and Dada can't be with you anymore."

"Why?"

"They're…" She trailed off, blinking rapidly to try and stop the burning, but ultimately failed. God, how do you tell a one year old that their parents were dead, gone forever? That no amount of wishing or hoping would bring them back? "Sweetheart, Mama and Dada are…dead…" She finally voiced. Harry looked confused. "A bad man came and hurt them. But they aren't…" she swallowed roughly, pushing the lump down. "They aren't hurt anymore."

"Where 'r they?"

Dammit, why did this boy have to be like Lily in this aspect of asking questions, Moria thought dryly as she floundered for a few moments before coughing to clear her throat. "Did your Mummy ever talk about angels?" She asked. Harry nodded and she offered a teary smile. "Well that's what they became…they're angels in heaven now…and they're going to guard and watch over you now."

"Heaven?"

"Mhm." Moria responded.

"Are they sad I not there?"

"No. No, no…sweetheart." She whispered, brushing his bangs from his forehead, and kissing the lightning shaped scar that was carved into there. "Your parents are happy that you're here and safe. That's all your mother and father wanted."

Harry was silent before resting his head on her chest and she rested her chin on the top of his head, and gently began to rock him. Then softly, almost under her breath began to sing one of the only lullabies that she could remember.

_Sleep, baby, sleep  
Your father tends the sheep  
Your mother shakes the dreamland tree  
And from it fall sweet dreams for thee  
Sleep, baby, sleep  
Sleep, baby, sleep_

_Sleep, baby, sleep_  
_Our cottage vale is deep_  
_The little lamb is on the green_  
_With snowy fleece so soft and clean_  
_Sleep, baby, sleep_  
_Sleep, baby, sleep_

She kept repeating the two verses over and over again, until she felt his body relax against hers and his breathing completely quieted. She shifted to see that he was now completely asleep. Softly she lifted him and gently rested him on the cot. He barely stirred as she tucked him in and placed a kiss on his forehead. Quietly she left the room and then walked to the door next to it and calmly entered. There was another cot in the farthest wall. A lamp had been softly lit, and in the quiet she could hear soft snoring.

She walked over and peered over the edge, and finally, the last chain of anxiety that had been attached to her released and broke away. She stared at the 2 month old infant who was out cold, one tiny fist clutching the ear of her stuffed animal, the other parallel to her face. She gently brushed the fringe of Max's hair from her forehead. She wondered if Max had noticed the difference…that the two men that would hold her, feed her, change her, anything had been different. She vaguely wondered if Max had sensed the events that would happen on Halloween…maybe that had been why she had tried desperately to keep Sirius from going. The infant squirmed, but remained asleep. As she gently brushed a finger over the fist and she noticed that her hand was shaking, before her eyes slowly blurred. She made a chocking sound and she stumbled backwards, pressing a hand over her mouth. She barely managed to be quiet as she left the nursery, and walked quickly to the bathroom. Jacob and William looked at each other, but it was William who stopped Jacob from going.

"She'll tell us when she's ready. I think something happened…something bad."

"William-"

"She wouldn't have Harry with her without James and Lily unless there was a reason. And Sirius wouldn't not be here with her. And for the past four weeks we thought she was dead…something happened. And it's clear she's not ready to tell us yet."

"I…guess…" He responded. Meanwhile Moria was sitting on the floor of the bathroom, inhaling deeply as silent tears slid down her face. She curled up, her shoulders shaking, wracked with silent sobs. Slowly she began to compose herself and she finally managed to stand, walking over to the sink observing the face that stared back at her, a pale oval surrounded by a dark brown mane of hair. She could still see the slight bruises that she had gained from being thrown through a clothing department store window, but she didn't really care about those.

_"Your hair! It's longer."_

"_Don't. I think it looks great." _

_"I've kept telling you to let it grow out. It looks fine like this."_

_"I think it looks fine on you Mori."_

_"Well Miss Prescott, you do look lovely with longer hair."_

She ran her fingers through the strands, her head feeling all of a sudden, oddly heavy. Slowly her eyes began to light up and she gripped all her hair in one hand, and put her wand just below her ear. She closed her eyes tightly, almost as though she was asking if she really wanted to do this. Then her eyes narrowing in resolution, her tip of her wand began to glow a bright red and with a hard flick upwards her hair fell limply in her clenched hand. She exhaled softly looking down at it and, after pocketing her wand, found a hair tie that Jacob probably used for his hair. She slowly tied it tightly around the hair, ensuring that none of the strands would fall onto the ground. She had never found any trouble with her hair long before. Sure it got in the way…but it had memories tied to those strands…And did she want those memories tying her down, forcing her to recall all she had lost in one night? She would always remember the memories associated with the hair. Plus she had two children under the age of five, who were bound to start grabbing her hair.

"_Did you know in Japan, that cutting the hair means the sign of a new beginning? Maybe Daddy should do that?"_

"_No Daddy! I like your hair long!"_

"_Alright sweetheart. All right. But don't forget that change isn't necessarily a bad thing."_

She smiled slightly at the memory, gliding her hand through the now shortened tresses.

A new beginning. A new start. But she still would remember what happened…still remember what she lost. She played with her wedding band. Oh she would always remember. And she would never forget.

"Moria? Angel? You alright? You didn't answer us when we-" She heard and turned to see Jacob opening the bathroom door. He paused and blinked, staring at her in surprise. She offered a soft smile and pushed a now shortened strand of hair behind her ear, knowing full well that it would just fall back down to her cheek.

"Sorry, Uncle Jacob." She apologized. Jacob stared at her. In the darkened light, where the moon gave the only light in the room, her eyes seemed to have turned golden. It was then he realized something…something that he had mentally been denying for years. She wasn't a little girl anymore that needed them to do everything for her. She hadn't been since she had been five. Life had made her wise, tragedy had made her hard, love had made her grow…she was no longer the innocent baby that he had held. He snapped out of his thoughts as she walked up to him, patting his shoulder. "My mind was wandering." She continued before moving past him. "Let's go downstairs…and I'll explain what happened."

* * *

"Moria, let us go and get the stuff you need!" Jacob suggested as Moria retrieved her wand. Moria glared at the two men.

"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Besides you already promised you would stay with Harry and Max." Moria said her voice low.

"Then let one of us go with you at least-"

"…let me do this by myself." Moria interrupted. Jacob looked at William for backup, but his brother merely shook his head, holding Max in one of his arms, allowing the infant girl to drink from her bottle. Jacob then sighed, looking at Moria as he began helping Harry cut his waffles.

"Be careful okay?" he asked and Moria nodded, and turned before disappearing.

* * *

It was only seconds later that she appeared in front of a familiar door…in front of a familiar apartment.

Her apartment...hers and Sirius's apartment.

Silently she opened her door, closing and locking it. She casted the muffilato charm and began to move around the apartment, moving around the debris of the area. It was if time had frozen in this place…that nothing that had happened in the last month…had happened.

But it had.

She sighed loudly, brushing a hand over her eyes as she continued to walk around, trying to find items of her home that she could take with her that hadn't either been stained by fake blood, or burned by hexes. She would head over to Godric's Hollow and sneak in to get some of Harry's stuff that was still useable. But first here...

She had debated on switching the places and going to Godric's Hollow first…but it was too early…too sunny right then and she would probably attract too much attention. She stopped and thumbed through some old photo books she hadn't managed to grab in her hasty retreat beforehand. After summoning a box, she gently placed the albums in them, tracing the worn pattern on the cover. She sighed and then went to the bedroom and began to pull out her clothes not really caring she was doing it the muggle way. She wanted to waste some time here.

If only things would have been different.

She and Sirius would still be here, raising Max…Max would have learned her first word here, taken her first steps…gone to school from here…so many things that could have been memories in this place…now a pipe dream. She finished packing a jacket of hers before glancing towards the other side of the room, staring at Sirius's dresser. She hesitated before walking over to it and opening the first drawer, staring at his shirts…that wouldn't be worn again. It was sad…this was all she had really, other than photos, of him. She ran a finger over his shirt and then bit her bottom lip as she pulled them out, staring at the shirt. She then turned and placed his shirts in the box. She would keep them.

"_Because you don't want to leave them there? Or because they smell like him?"_ A voice asked patronizingly. She blinked rapidly, and shook her head, deciding not to answer the question. Finally after several minutes she finally had whatever she needed…whatever she could salvage, and had managed to put them all in nearly three boxes…a rather nice record if she thought so herself. She glanced out the window and saw, to her surprise, it was nearly dusk. She had been there for quite some time it seemed. Sighing she stood up and shrunk the boxes, placing them into her pocket. Next stop Godric's Hollow. She inhaled deeply, gathering her courage and forcing herself to turn and her world became a kaleidoscope of colors and her home became no more.

* * *

Moria hesitated as she looked at the graveyard. She had just come back from Godric's Hollow. Four boxes and a bag later she had been done…she didn't have to sneak around that area anymore. She had gotten photo albums, some of Harry's toys…Christmas ornaments that Lily cherished, that Snitch that James always had with him when they had been in school, some other knick-knacks that she was sure Harry would appreciate when he was older, Harry's broom that she and Sirius had gotten him for his first birthday, and other items. But the one thing she had had hoped and was thankful was still there was something Lily had been working on since Harry had been born. A large blue quilt, adorned in the middle a stag and a doe standing over a fawn. Around the other squares of the quilt were wolves, dogs, foxes running around the edge…and if she looked really closely on a corner…a rat. She didn't much care for that corner, but she would ignore it. Lily had worked on it for nearly a year…and it was something precious to her. Lily had been planning on giving it to Harry that Christmas. Now she would have to do it.

She swallowed and looked at the gate again before walking forward and pushing through, entering the graveyard. She glanced around, trying to find the names that she had known since she had been 11. Finally…after walking all the way into the back, she found them.

_**JAMES POTTER LILY POTTER**_

_**BORN 27 MARCH 1960 BORN 30 JANUARY 1960**_

_**DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981 DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981**_

**"**_**The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death**_**"**

"Hey you two…I know it's been a while. Feels like a lifetime, actually." Moria replied softly after a long moment of silence. It was now beginning to show the signs of dawn. She stood silently, shifting from one foot to the other. She then looked at the grave markers and sighed, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. She then laughed. "It took a while and even longer to find you two. Your graves weren't exactly on a map with flashing lights. Then again…maybe that's a good thing." She commented. A soft breeze fluttered around her, causing her hair to shift in the breeze. Fallen leaves moved and danced around her and the graves, and she couldn't help but smile.

"I'm guessing you thought that was funny James. Or you're just being a show off as normal." She commented then fell silent. What was she supposed to say?

"So…I'm going to be taking care of Harry from now on." She said, bending down and brushing her fingers across the stone, tracing the words. "I wish I could say Sirius was with me…and he would be helping me, but I can't…" She continued, frowning. "He's being blamed for your deaths, and twelve other muggles. I wish I could do anything…but…I'm moving. For Harry's sake." She continued. Silence greeted her and she swallowed roughly.

"I know you two never wanted to die and leave Harry…but…I guess I have to thank you. Harry saved me from doing something incredibly stupid, which would have left Max by herself and being raised by my family and Harry with Petunia." She said and then offered a slight laugh. "I'm just going to warn you. I don't know what I'm doing…this is whole new territory for me. I'll make mistakes. I might even make those two hate me…I don't know. I'm scared…terrified." She explained and swallowed thickly. "But I'm going to try. I just hope…actually I'm praying that I'll raise him the way you wanted him to be raised." She continued, before standing back up, a look of resolve crossing her features. "I hope you can give me your blessing, because no matter how long it takes, I'm going to find out who gave away your home which took you away from us, I'm going to find who framed Sirius, and get him back. And I'll raise Harry and Max while doing it. So if you two can hear me, I hope I have your trust." She said.

As though the heavens had heard her, a sudden gust of wind pushed through the graveyard, and for a second blinding her as the leaves sprang into the air, circling around her in their mystic dance with the wind. She blinked, pushing her hair behind her back, turning when she heard the sound of crunching of the leaves. As she turned, the sun finally broke over the horizon, illuminating the graveyard, and revealing the new occupants.

A pair of deer stood there, which in hindsight Moria should have found odd as they were in a community where no forest was nearby. She however remained frozen as the stag stared at her, followed by the doe, who didn't seem frightened by her presence at all. Then, much to Moria's shock, the stag seemed to bow its' head at her, looking back up as if to say 'you better keep your promise' before walking off. The doe stared her at a few seconds longer, before following her mate and they took off, vanishing around the buildings.

Moria stared at the now empty scene, dumbfounded for several minutes and began to feel her eyes burn. She made no attempt to stop them as the tears slid down her cheeks, and a smile appeared on her face. Slowly, she began to laugh rubbing her eyes to stop the tears as another breeze pushed against her and she had to push her hair behind her ear again, staring up towards the sky which now was a light cotton candy and baby blue mix with white clouds moving slowly across the horizon.

"Yeah, yeah I hear you two." She said, raising her hand up to the sky, closing her hand to a fist. "It's a promise." With that she walked away from the graveyard, her resolve solidified and a smile etched on face. Because she wasn't alone.

She never was.

* * *

Moria looked up when she felt a soft breeze filter through the apartment. She could hear soft music playing down in the streets below as she walked over and glanced out the window. She was in Italy now. Dumbledore had sent her here. She sighed, smiling as she watched townspeople walk around, chatting idly, men sharing stories, women gossiping, and children running around after each other, kicking the remaining snowdrifts as they raced around, wispy smoke rising from chimneys and mingling with the breath of the people. Biella, a town in the region of Piedmont…it was nice, especially considering that Chelsea lived nearby…but…

She shuddered at the chill that suddenly filtered through and she closed the window, staring at the fogging window. She then tuned into the familiar squeal followed swiftly by a giggle. She walked around the half wall that separated the kitchen from the bedroom and smiled at the sight of Harry standing over Max. The three month old was giggling loudly at Harry who seemed to be just as interested in the odd sounds she was making, as she was interested at the faces he was showing. She smiled and leaned against the wall as she watched the pair play around. She looked around at the small apartment. She would sooner or later have to move out, once her lease ended, and the pair had gotten older…but right then…it was all they had.

She played with her necklace, running her finger over the dog foot charm and then tracing over Logan's charm he had given her.

"_**You know that saying…home is where the heart is? Well they got it wrong. It's not where the heart is…it's where the family is. As long as you got family…that's where home is."**_

Logan had been right. If she had been by herself, she doubted this place would ever feel remotely close to home. But as she watched the two children play around, Harry going over to a train set and beginning to push it around the room. Home wasn't where the heart was. It was where the family was.

She walked over to them and sat down, laughing as Harry rushed at her, the little boy laughing happily. Max watched the two and then squealed again.

And these two were her family…and they were home.

**SO ENDS PART 2 :) COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN THE ORIGINAL, I'LL SAY :) ANYHOO HERE ARE MY THANKS FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED SINCE PART 1:**

**Totally Kowalski**

**Carlie13**

**Splendora-C.A.M-McGonagall**

**FatesPuppet**

**Krystian Rivera**

**TippyToe Zombie**

**MusicAnimal**

**hitomi65**

**marauderette-mooney**

**zZhell-butterflyZz**

**tonks-hp7**

**EllaVioletBlack**

**likeafairy190410**

**fairer3333**

**AND SEVERAL GUESTS/ANONYMOUS REVIEWERS :) THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING AND FAVING THIS STORY. STAY TUNED FOR PART 3 OF WLoF :) I'LL PUT AN UPDATE TO INFORM WHEN I GET PART 3 SET UP. FOR THE READERS WHO READ THE ORIGINAL, IT'S GOING TO BE DIFFERENT *EVIL LAUGH* OH SO DIFFERENT.  
**


	32. UPDATE

Sequel to this story is up: It's called **Harry Potter and the Weaving Lines of Fate part 3 **(I know least creative name in the world but oh well) Hope you enjoy the next installment of this fanfiction just as much as you enjoyed this installment. Thank you for all the wonderful comments.


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